Alarm: always on
“Daddy! Daddy!”
My son is the kind of alarm you can’t snooze. No set time. It goes off whenever it wants. One that rings when I’m sleeping, doing the dishes or setting up my fantasy teams while sitting on the toilet. It’s less of a cry for help and more of a call for attention.
He’s a kid after all. I always remind myself. He eats, sleeps, watches TV, plays and plays. Did I mention he plays? There’s the occasional breaks when he practices reading and writing. But yes, playing is his full-time job.
Unfortunately, he’s got no one else to play with at home. And while I love to be his constant sidekick, it’s tough to keep pace. Life happens. Work, errands, to-do lists. If ever a fountain of energy exists, I’ll be sure to line up.
Cue the guilt.
I suppose every parent feels this way, right? We try to balance things, wanting to give our kids everything while juggling everything else. So I try to hustle through tasks to squeeze in more time to play. I’ve also read the importance of independent play in fostering imagination and creativity, so I nudge him in that direction too.
Lastly, here’s a thought. I sometimes wish for a pause button for those “Daddy!” alarms, but I know the time’s coming when they will stop ringing altogether.
So as much as possible, I want to cherish those moments that I still hear them. One of these days, I’ll be counting those calls on one hand. Sooner or later, he’ll find new playmates, and I will be sidelined.
But even though the days when he’ll need me like this are probably numbered, my title—constant sidekick, forever teammate—will stay with me, even as the alarms become quieter and eventually fade away.