Home Alone!

No, this has nothing to do with the movie of a similar name.  And, no I did not leave my child(ren) home alone.  I’m not that bad of a dad.  My wife took the boys to her parents for the weekend, and I was home alone.  I was very excited about it.  The weather was beautiful and I had plenty to do around the house.  I even scheduled some time with my friends.  It was going to be a great weekend. 

So, Saturday rolls around, and  I went to the driving range to work on my constantly developing golf game.  I saw two dads there with their kids and I thought it would be a great sport for Andrew (my younger boy) to pick up since he doesn’t like to run much.  Then, it was off to Home Depot to buy flowers, mulch and soil for the front yard.  Usually I let the boys pick them out so I can win the best garden contest (my boys are the judges of this contest they made).  I stopped by BJs to get the grocery shopping done. 

That afternoon, I started planting the flowers and realized how much work it is to do this all by myself.  I stopped halfway through to go to the neighborhood cookout.  I was hanging out with my friends and their families.  We were playing cards and such while the kids were throwing water bombs and running through the sprinklers.  The game would get occasionally interrupted because a kid needed a Band-Aid or something.  It’s usually my kids who end up needing that.

Sunday ended up being similar.  I cleaned the house. I did more yard work.  By the end of Sunday, I realized, as I looked up and saw the car coming pulling in, I missed those guys.  For all of their bickering and fighting and monopolization of the TV, they impact everything I do on a daily basis.  And, though I had a very productive weekend, it was a bit of an unfulfilling one.  I like it when they help me pick flowers and plant them.  I like giving them allowance to help me clean the house.  I love coaching my kid in soccer.  They are the most fun kids in the neighborhood!  And, I hate it when they are not around.