Hailwood1965

Toby went ice slating for the first time in his life the other night and did really well, had his legs under him from the first moment. I remember back to when John was in Pee Wee hockey and even after years he was unable to truly skate for more than a few feet. I grabbed an old pudding bowl helmet from the garage for Tob' to use as head protection. "I'm not cold!"

It's a whole different deal out there now. Every kid has his own selection of electronic devices to use at his leisure.

Toby walks downstairs one morning last week, still in PJs, hair tousled from being in bed. It's 7:00 AM and he is having a glass of juice and some donut. How did you sleep, I ask him. "Not too good. I did not sleep too good." Oh, really? What was the matter? "I could not sleep because I just kept thinking about the planet Jupiter and how big it is. It's the biggest planet there is. It's just so big." I looked it up on Google later and learned Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system.

Two minute ride to the daycare provider in the morning provides a few moments of dad and Tob' solo time. Usually him singing, or being excited about seeing his friends. Last week, we get in the car, start driving. I am trying to defrost the windshield with half a gallon of windshield washer fluid, when he pops one. "Dad: question." Okay, Tob. Just a sec. Few more squirts while I mull perhaps pulling out the AMEx card and use it for a scraper on the windshield. "Dad! I have a question." Windshield semi-clear now. Radio goes down. Okay, what's up. "It's an important question. Serious question." (He is reciting my lines back to me, this is what I ask him before I usually ask him, with a serious face, if he'd like a kick in the pants). Shoot. "Dad ... snakes ... do you think they laugh?" Well, I don't know Tob. They might. They seem pretty serious though. "Well, if they do laugh, do you think when they laugh they make a nois...

Announcement made that mom is taking both children to church to an advent service. Teenager: (look of horror) WHAT? I just WENT to church on Sunday. And Caticism today! Adult woman: Tough monkeys. You're going. Teenager: (acting like world will end in 15 minutes) WHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY? I just went! Adult woman: Stern do-not-mess-with-me-look. Toby, age 4 in his normal 'you just don't understand' manner: "Kipp, church is a GREAT place. You should come with, it's NICE there."

Walking through the living on the way to do something I see Toby sprawled out on the floor, laying on his back hands clasped behind his head watching TV. I quick glance over as I pace through to see what he's watching. Usually it's Blue's Clues or Johnny Quest or maybe, just maybe, very early Scooby Doo. This time not Scooby Doo. It's some reality cable show about life in Prison. Oh boy. I watch for a moment. It's a program called Scared Straight, where bad teens are brought in to give them taste of prison life. I give Toby the patent pending 'Dad WTH' look. "WHAT are you watching Tob?" Calmly he replies, as he sees some inmate screaming in the face of some teen. YOU KNOW WHAT I'D DO TO YOU IF THE GUARDS WERE NOT HERE? DO YA? DO YA? "They're learning how to be in jail, dad," he replied calmly. Further Dad WTH look. The inmate continues to scream in the teen's crying face, I'M GONNA LIKE YOU WHEN YOU IN HERE WITH ME. I look...

The doctor stuck his hand at me, and said, "Congratulations. This is amazing. How did you do it?". I shook his hand and looked momentarily at his wide smile and the clear sincerity in his face, he really wanted to know how I did it and wasn't just being supportive. I knew then that I had never been closer to death in my entire life. How I did what? As men age, their physician will be constantly feeding them numbers gleaned from blood and urine tests, index numbers based on your weight and height and explaining how these numbers impact your mortality. My Dr has been on my ass for the last two years to lower all the usual numbers and to get and keep moving. I did all that, but honestly didn't move too far off the infamous 'Dean & Evan' diet. He gave me the usual regimen of tests yesterday. When he returned to the room he was smiling broadly and clearly happy with the results. BP: 110/68; LDL: 57; blood sugar, medium normal. When your mom walks into your room...