Playground Periscope

Whenever the Moose hits the playground, my blood pressure ticks up a couple of notches. Like his brothers before him (especially the eldest), the Moose loves to push the limits by climbing the highest slide or jumping headlong onto the merry-go-round. I watch like a hawk, though I try to let him have his space and let him discover what he can do (within reason), but often I find the playground more stress-inducing than stress-relieving.

I'm not the only one who feels this way. Over at Dadcentric, a recent post tackles the perils of playground watching. It is indeed a state of constant vigilance.

 My right eye is trained on my youngest, who is standing atop a 10’ slide approximately 47 degrees to my right, while my left eye is watching my eldest bounce up and down on a suspension bridge. My brain is receiving and processing simultaneous feeds from each eye regarding each boy’s current status. Any report of injury, a pained expression, or unacceptable behavior will trigger action in the rest of the body. It is a spectacular feat of dual awareness, a demonstration of two hemispheres functioning independently in order to accomplish a common goal, a state which I am able to accomplish through a combination of intense ocular control, deep breathing, and Norris-like focus. And I can maintain it for all of .37 seconds. 

The Simple Life

Old Wahoo is a big fan of The Simple Life - not the Paris Hilton-Nicole Ritchie scarefest that was on TV a few years ago, but the basic things that can make life great. 

Take today for instance, which was by far the best day of the week. Rob, Alex and I went for a bike ride to the playground, where the boys had a great time on the monkeybars and slides. Then we came home, drank lemonade, played soccer and watered the garden.

No agendas, no plans, no great ideas. Just playing. It's too bad getting to The Simple Life can be so complicated.

What are the simple things you like?