A Learning Experience

It's difficult to talk to your kids sometimes. I have a big problem communicating with my son. It's not that we fight or anything like that, it's just that we both get frustrated quickly with each other. He's a very very sweet kid who is extremily kind and wears his heart on his sleeve (it's going to be hell when he starts really getting into girls...), but he gets frustrated with me when I laugh at him for being such a literal person.

I want to have a good relationship with my children, and communicating is the heart and soul of a child / parent relationship. So I have been working on a lot of things.

One thing I've found that works is when we have good one on one time where he gets to do something he enjoys, and learns something new at the same time.

So today after school I decided that we could go on a journey together.

Me running and him on his new bike.

He rides his bike GREAT, and quite fast when he gets the chance. So I want worried about him, I was more worried about me keeping up with him throughout our hilly neighborhood.

I aimed for going about 2 miles, so we strapped on his helmet and I strapped on my Garmin watch and we took off together. Within 2 minutes he's taking his head off about his first day off school. At the house I couldn't get a full sentence out of him!

Around. 75 miles we had a little hiccup.

We were traveling down a pretty steep hill when he somehow ended up behind me. I think he missed the turn I took and had to turn around and play catchup. I called out to him to make sure he was still behind me and he replied with "Daddy, watch out. Daddy, watch out!!!!"....

BAM!

His front tire his the back of left heel just as I'm starting to lift that foot off the ground, effectively jamming the front of my foot back into the cement road where my toes fold under and my foot gets dragged / pushed forward. I skinned 3 toes and had a painful spot on the back of my left heel now.

Great....

My son, being the caring sweet child that he is, freaks out and immediately asks if I'm ok and apologizes repeatedly. Then tells me "daddy, I said for you to watch out. Didn't you hearded me saying that?"

Haha!!!

Then when he sees me foot bleeding he starts panicking a little and asks if I need to go to the hospital.

No bud, I'm ok. It's just a little road rash. No biggie.

Are you sure? We need to find a band aid.

I think it will be ok buddy. Let's just get back home.

Ok.... are you sure it's ok? Your foots bleeding a whole lot.

Yes Bubba, it's fine. Let's just not run into daddy anymore, ok?

....

Funny kid.

But we did have a great time! We did 2.03 according to the Garmin, and we talked the entire time. If we had stayed at home we probably would have just sat on the couch and watched Pokémon or some other nonsense.

I think we will go again soon, but this time we will discuss how to pass before we take off.