On Fatherhood

We walked downtown to the mom-and-pop grocery today (our town population is about 1,500). Anna and Will rode in the Step2 wagon, Sophie helped me pull the wagon, and the yellow-haired child was our intrepid leader. She stopped us at all the intersections, both sides, and kept us from even the suggestion of a motorized vehicle.

I recently read a quote from Lynn Hybels that said Nice girls don't change the world. This one's changing things. I pray daily, fervently, that it will be for the better.

Our little gang walked into the grocery, looking like trouble. Will carried the basket and began loading it. I emptied it behind him. He chose, among other things, pink Sno Balls. Now, I despise Sno Balls - white or pink. It's a coconut thing. And I also hate them because they're disgusting. They're just something that should have never been. But I let him buy them anyway - sometimes you have to let kids make their own mistakes.

As we left, Will wanted one. I opened the package and handed him a Barbiesque teacake. He dove right in, ignoring his sisters' Yucks and Icks and Dat's Iscusstings. A third of the way in, he offered it to me. I took a bite to confirm that I still despised the spongy little poison and then offered it to Avery. The yellow-haired child, nibbled on it and quickly handed it back. I tossed it into the ditch. I have no scruples about littering with food - it keeps the wildlife at bay.

When we got home, I put the second Sno Ball on the counter, thinking perhaps my wife enjoyed them (she doesn't, for the record). After talking to Laura, I threw it in the trash.

And that's when the Raccoon wanted it. Naturally. So I told him to get it.

He couldn't reach it, so I bent down, reaching past the empty Campbell's cans and pulled out the pink Sno Ball. As he reached for it, I said, "Wait, Will, until I pick off the SpaghettiOs."

And that, my friends, is the fundamental difference between a stay-at-home dad and a stay-at-home mom.