After several Sunday afternoons of neglect, I finally got back to my family photo book layout project. I’m so glad I did, because the 90 minutes I spent sorting through memories stored as pictures and journal entries, made me want to go upstairs and be with my kids. The process of putting together the book for last year made me realize some things about right now that I want to have recorded. We have pictures of the special events, the birthdays, the zoo trips, but those are only a small fraction of the year. I realized that I want to take some pictures and write some blog stuff about the things that are common. My kids are constantly growing and changing, today’s regular activities will pass into memory as they become new people.
The first photo I took was of Kiki playing a video game while Gleek and Patch watched. Kiki has gotten really good at video games. When a game hooks her, she will play all the way through to the end. When she gets stuck, she’ll search on the internet for hints on how to solve the dilemma. The other kids like watching her play. They get to see the whole story without having to do all of the work. Only watching Kiki play is even better than a movie because it is interactive. Kiki will sometimes do requests. They spend a lot of time in giggle-worthy activities like chasing chickens.
Next I went upstairs and photographed Link playing one of his elaborate homemade games. Link carefully drew a game board using dry erase markers on a white board. He had out his set of 30 blue six-sided dice. The dice were used by an assortment of wooden craft blocks that he’d colored to be stars or Nintendo characters. I think there may also have been toy hamsters in the mix. Link plays games like this frequently. Sometimes the pieces and game boards are made of paper. Sometimes they are just drawings on paper. Sometimes the boards have a third dimension and are constructed of blocks or legos. The games are often based on video games that he plays, but they always involve variations. The rules are invariably complex. Sometimes Link sets up a game so that Gleek or Patch can play with him. Other times he prefers to play alone. Link loves these games. When the time comes to put it away, he carefully saves all the pieces so that he can start the game up again where he left off. I try to respect his emotional need to preserve the games he loves even though I know that he is unlikely to ever come back to this particular game. Tomorrow there will be a new game, with a new mix of pieces and a new set of rules. It may be similar, but will never be identical.
Then I took Gleek outside to water her flowers. Patch followed us. This is the time of year when I love my yard most. Things are in bloom, the grass is green, and the weeds have not yet taken over. It was good for me to get outside. Gleek and Patch ended up on the swings. I snagged the camera to catch this typical behavior. It took us several tries, but we managed to get one with Gleek flying through the air as she jumped off a swing. She is beautiful in flight. Then I put the camera away and wandered through my yard. My observations of flowers and plants were interrupted with frequent cries of “Mommy! Watch me!” or “Mommy! Push me!” It is Sunday afternoon. I had no pressing concerns, no business tasks are allowed. For once I was at the disposal of my children. It was wonderful to answer “Okay.” instead of “Wait a minute.”
The peace of this afternoon has me realizing that I’m not here for my kids enough. I’m in the house physically, but my brain is shipping books, or pondering merchandise, or planning layout, or planning the summer schedule, or doing the dishes. I so rarely take the time to give my kids full attention. I think that this is what my Sunday afternoons need to be for. This summer I will spend Sunday afternoons playing with and listening to my children.