Don't be that guy

Every caught yourself saying this?  Most of the time when I do it has something to do with parenting and something that I told myself I never wanted to do.  I didn't want that guy.

Today was one of those days.  Monday is a day for me to be home and taking care of admin stuff. Sometime personal, newsletters, emails, etc, but sometimes still for work.  Most of the weekend and today I was trying to get our Children of Promise website redone.  I am still a bit new to all the ins and outs of wordpress so it probably takes me longer than the average, but I am learning.

I was, am close to being finished.  My son has been asking me for some time to build a table and to help him build some ramps for his finger-boarding (think teck decks, but with more life life skateboards)/  I finally told him he could have an old table out back that I use for my weekend wood working projects.  He managed to rummage thru my scrap pile and find some pieces that would work. I heard him trying to hand saw some things.  I busy working away in the dining room.  I looked at my watch....it was almost 3.  I thought to myself, we have somewhere to be at 5, so why go to all this trouble now.  Our garage serves as an extra bedroom, so all my tools are stored thru-out the house. Seemed pointless to get it all out just to put back.  After a bit of hand sawing he asked if he could use one of my power saws.

Sure I said, help your self.  After a few minutes, he came inside and asked how to do it.  I helped him trace a few lines out on the wood.  After about 15 minutes and a lot of sawing, he yelled out to me asking how to cut the diagonal line.  I tried to tell him how.  He pushed back and said come show me. Reluctantly, I went.  I made the cut.  Thanks he said.  I went back to work.  I really wanted to get this finished today before I left.  I mean come on a website with as much traffic as mine (sarcasm) can be down for more than 3 days, can it?  He came back inside.  Help me make lines for another one please.

This one he cut all by himself.  Then he showed them to me.  We had to start over, as they were just a bit crooked.  We quickly made new ones and I cut them for them.  He needed a little bit of help with the gluing and that was it.

I went back to work.  No I didn't get it all done.  No its not the end of the world.  Later while we were in the kitchen.  Eating quickly between one thing and another that we needed to get to tonight, he says this.  "Dad, thanks for helping me with my ramps.  You don't get many chances for memories like that."

Dads, (and moms) don't be that guy.  Stop and give them everything you have for a moment.....they don't come often.

Just a friendly public service announcement.