A Serious Discussion on the Merits of Humor
Dear Friend,
I find that when I hang out with my kids, my maturity level goes down the toilet.
I get the greatest kick out of the same goofy toilet humor that they do, which, I suppose, is a reflection of my level of sophistication. 😉
Nevertheless, when I am around kids, I seem to take one of two possible stances, depending on my mood.
Sometimes, when I am focusing on “adult matters,” which they call boring (and generally I must agree with this conclusion), I tend to ignore their banter or find it annoying. Certainly, there are times when acting like a seven year old is not appropriate for an adult.
At other times, when my continuing goal of getting closer to my kids is in the forefront of my mind, I may tend to let go and allow myself to have just a bit of fun.
It is the second mindset that I was in for most of today.
We had to leave the beautiful west coast of Vancouver Island to venture to more populated areas and take care of urgent business (see my earlier post in this regard). I drove for a few hours through the beautiful central island mountains. Then my wife graciously took over those duties and I spent the rest of the evening basically goofing off with the little ones.
I try to always remember that the greatest gift that one human being can give to another is your full and complete attention. And when I consciously do that with my children, the impact on the child in question is obvious.
They love it!
And it is difficult not to get wrapped up in whatever they are doing. We play games together that we all enjoy. And, I guess, we continue to bond ever closer, if that is possible.
I know that this sort of closeness (physical as well as emotional!) simply does not happen when we are at home. Perhaps something about the act of journeying forges a unique bond that can occur in no other way.
Whatever it is, I know that my kids are growing each day, and I am determined not to regret the time I spend with them, or the manner in which I raise them.
I think that this trip has definitely contributed to strengthening our family’s ties.
To those of you who may be considering undertaking a similar journey, I advise only this. Plan to stay out a while. Do not make many other plans. And make the simple act of innocent exploration truly a shared experience rather than a planned exercise.
You will together have to get over the hump of stress at the start of your effort in order to truly enjoy the benefits later on. So don’t give up after a few rough patches.
If you have any, more specific questions about putting together a family exploration trip, just post a reply to this post and I’d be glad to elaborate.
Trust me – you will be glad you did this!
All the best,
Hugh
