After Dark discussion with a 5 yr old

Jonah with a milk mustache

I thought all the kids were asleep last night. Melissa was conversing with a customer on a new Harry Potter inspired bracelet, I was perusing Twitter and discussing Christmas trees.  Jonah, my youngest, snuck up behind me and very sheepishly told me he was hungry.  Well I have to fix that! So I decide that it's time for a father and son PB & J.  My dad taught me a special way of making PB & J's so when it's time for a father and son one, I always make it the same way.  I'm passing this treat on to my kids and I'll share it with you as well.

First, get your PB and put a spoon and a half per sandwich into a bowl. Next, add in a spoon per sandwich of your favorite jelly.  Here's the secret, add in a teaspoon of honey and mix the concoction together as fast as you can for a few seconds.  The whipping action will cause the peanut butter to fluff up and spread easily on the bread. Lather generously and enjoy an amazing sandwich!!


Now back to the point of the post.  So as Jonah and I began to enjoy our sandwiches, the first words out of his mouth are, "Dad...did you know that grizzly bears eat milk to?!" Wow...out of all the things he could say he decided it would be about grizzly bears.  I asked him where he learned that amazing fact at and he explained to me that he had been watching the Old Wild Krats, which my generation will know as Zaboomafu with the Krat Brothers. This kid is like a sponge, he soaks up all kinds of different facts and it never ceases to amaze me when he can pull a fact out when we're talking about someone or something.  And that leads me to my point.


Kids are amazing. Kids are absolutely 100% incredibly amazing! Even when I don't think he's paying attention to me or what Melissa and I are talking about, he is, he cares, and he wants to be a part of it. As Dads, what are we doing to include our kids in life. What are we doing to make sure they feel they are a part of the family.  Those 15 minutes I spent with him were just so special last night, moments like that I will cherish for life.  I need to make a it a point to spend time like that with my wife and all three of my kids.  It's so important that as a Dad we take time out of our day to touch base with our family, individually, to make sure we understand what's going on in their lives.  I know I can get so involved with "life" that I'll miss out on those special moments.

So what do we, as dads, do to make this a priority? Do you have any special tips? I'd love for you to leave me some comments and let me know how you tune the world out and make that special times for your family.