Hero now, but for how long?

Despite the endless mischief they get up to, and the lack of any that my wife and I are able to get into because of them, I find my two boys just so much fun to be with right now.

They have been sleeping through most nights for the past couple of years – something we never thought would happen during their early days, when the elder one used to wake up 3-4 times every night due to eczema, while the younger one used to cry 3-4 hours every night before he fell asleep. Now aged 6 and 4, respectively, L and C not only sleep well but also cherish the pre-bedtime ritual of reading, talking and interrogating their ignorant father about all the mysteries of the world (“Who first found God?“, “Why do you run?“). And because they enjoy it so much, so do I, especially as it is often the only time of the day I get a chance to “talk” to them, as oppose to yell at them or plead with them – my two standard modes of communicating with these two cheeky rascals.

L and C are also at an age where they actually listen to me and do as they are told. Granted, the interval between the initial command (“Go brush your teeth and get dressed“) and final accomplishment (toothpaste foam still around the mouths and pants put on back to front) can be annoyingly prolonged. But when I think ahead to their teenage years, when any commands are likely to be met with heavy artillery of resistance, I’m more than thankful of what I get now.

My two sons are also at a stage where they are big enough to play (or rather fight) by themselves but still small enough for me to cradle them like little babies, or carry them around like sacks of potatoes. L and C also don’t yet seem embarrassed by their doting father constantly patting their heads and planting kisses on their cheeks in public – an act that is sure to elicit much moans and groans as they get older and “cooler”.

And their capacity to learn at the current age is a pure wonder to watch. Not only are L and C’s minds like sponges (which even managed to absorb a couple of “pardon my French” words that I blurted out in anger while driving  behind Miss Daisy), but the different ways that they think and learn are just amazing to witness. Needless to say, seeing their totally different personalities (one orderly, the other chaotic) interact with each other is pure entertainment!

Most of all, I just want to freeze my two boys at their current age because they look up to me as a hero, someone who seems to be omnipotent,  all-knowing, and alright – comforting perception of someone who increasingly feels anything but. In due course, my sons’ views of me will change, in the same way that my view of my own father evolved as I blew more and more candles on my birthday cakes.

In the meantime, however, if L and C want to see me as a hero, then that is exactly what they will get at this moment in time. After all, who am I to puncture the warm, fuzzy fantasy of my two precious boys?

Keep on pounding.