Camping Out

Back in June I took our son camping for the first time. It was a very short trip; We pitched a tent on the front lawn. (This is a Father/Son activity. Mommy’s not keen on sleeping on the ground.)

When the two of us (with some help from the neighbor kids) set up the tent, he was very excited to sleep in the tent. But later, after nightfall, sleeping out in the tent took on a different aspect.

“Daddy I scared.”

I asked what he was scared of.

“Monsters! Scary monsters outside.”

He’s a big fan of Elmo so I explained that monsters don’t have to be scary and that there are many friendly monsters like Elmo and Cookie Monster.

He considered this and looked at me very thoughtfully for a moment.

Then he announced “Elephants! Scary elephants outside.”

Snow

It’s snowing in eastern Massachusetts tonight.

The 5 o’clock commuter train from Boston nearly overshot the platform completely. Passengers from the lead cars had to tramp through the woods. The conductor quipped that the track must be slick.

My wife and son met me at the train station.

When we get home, my son is very excited. “Play tag daddy!”

He’s three. He loves to be chased round the kitchen table. “Get me, get me”, he says. It’s apparently ferociously funny when I change direction on him. He’s laughing too hard to run.

“Play hide seek!” I ask him him who will count first. “Daddy count.”

He always hides in the same place — under the dinning room table. He giggles uncontrollably. I pretend I can’t find him.

My family is all asleep now. I can hear a snow plow and the wind outside.