We went down to the creek today to play some Pooh Sticks because the park was overcrowded. Pooh Sticks is when you throw sticks into a body of water off of a bridge and then see which one comes out the other side of the bridge first. It’s from a Winnie the Pooh cartoon. The problem when we play Pooh Sticks is the bridge. We live in an old neighborhood with old bridges, old cracked and uneven sidewalks, and large exposed pipes under the bridge yet not in the water. The photo above is LMJ hauling ass – because how else would one get somewhere – across the old bridge and toward a huge uneven crack in the sidewalk to get some more sticks, and my reaction to the standard parent nightmare scenario of her falling through the guardrail, cracking her skull on the exposed pipe, and drowning in the shallow creek. She takes years off my life. There’s a very nice, flat, wide open field next to the creek that I would love to have her play in, but she doesn’t care about that. She’s only interested in getting as close to the creek as she possibly can. Why aren’t there force fields up to stop wayward toddlers from falling and drowning? It’s not a natural creek, at least not anymore. It’s been buttressed with cement walls; I assume to stop erosion. Force fields stop erosion, not only of the dirt slipping into the creek but also of my heart valves. I’ve never been as constantly terrified as I am when I watch her run down torn up sidewalk. I just know she’s going to fall and bounce her head off the pavement. The city did some work along our street a couple of years ago and replaced the cobblestone with modern cement squares wherever they tore it up. Now there’s a mix of both on our way to the park, and I breathe a sigh of relief whenever she hits a new patch. I’m not going to get into her swinging from the guardrail. It’s everything I can do not to tell her to stop, but I know that I have to let her explore and take some lumps as she grows up. I look annoyed in the picture. I’m not. That’s my filled with dread face, and it's not a choice. If we keep playing Pooh Sticks, I doubt I’ll make it to forty.
4 comments:
Perfect title to go with the post. It's all we need to understand the facial expression.
Your dad says that you did the same thing to your father, and the feelings you are expressing are the exact feelings he had. This is payback.
Nothing compared to "For the love of God would you please step away from that boy?"
Your fatherhood posts are always my favorites. You know what this means, right? Her chosen profession will either be a Navy Seal or a Hollywood stuntwoman.
This post has sealed her fate.
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