Having Fun With Steven

(edited this post from 4/14/2005)

I took a course at Landmark Education last week. The course helped
me realize that I haven't been having real, close relationships with
anybody including my 4-year-old son Steven.

The Monday morning after the course, I was downstairs sitting at my
computer at 7am working sharing email with friends what a good
time I had in the course. Steven came down and said, "Hi Dad!".
I said, "Hi Steven" and I kept on working without looking at him.
Then I realized he wanted to be with me. I turned around and saw
he had a ninja turtle toy in his hand. Here's how it went:

Me: "What do you have there?".

Steven: "It's my ninja turtle".

Me: "What does he do?".

Steven: "He fights bad guys" (a little more excited).

Me: "Cool. What's that thing on his belt?"

Steven: "Well, that's his sword" (more exited)"

He takes his sword and really beats the bad guys up!"
(more excited)"

When he beats them up, he really beats them up!!!"
(really excited now)

It occurred to me right then that he was really having fun WITH ME
I was having fun WITH HIM.

I realized that I had been "doing fun things" and "spending time with
Steven" with Steven. I made a commitment to have more than than.

I want to "have fun with Steven" and "be WITH Steven" in a real,
close relationship.

Ever since Steven was born, I always told myself I would be a
better dad than my dad was to me. I've spent a lot of time watching
Steven play instead of playing with him. I almost made the same
thing happen with Steven that happened with my dad and me...

Joe