A pox on my family

There are times as a parent that I am proud of myself. I had a chance last week to be the great dad when my kids asked me to inflate their pool and fill it up for them.

I eventually convinced them it wasn't worth the work and filled a rubbermaid tub full of water instead.

Part of being a fun dad was giving my children useless jobs where their failure is inconsequential. It's part of empowering them. So I gave my 4 year old daughter the hose to fill the tub full of water.

Now those who know this little girl of mine know that this would not be a recommended action as to give her unfettered access to controlling a 20 foot stream of water. The practical joke force runs strong in my family. My father has it, I have it, and my younger daughter has it. I came around the corner just in time for her to turn around, take aim, and attempt to soak me.

I was the only one outside NOT in a swimsuit. I had the choice to
A) Get mad and yell at them for inconsiterately soaking me.
B) Join them in the water play like it's a corny "Latter Day Saints" commercial.

I chose B. It was fun. I used deflection shields, buckets, and the two girls and I emptied that tub on each other, used the exercise trampoline to jump in, and we all had a blast. My wife strangely chose not to indulge. Oh well, it was a great time.

Today was not an example of my greatness as a father.

I went to pick up my older daughter from school. I walked so to enjoy the unseasonably cold weather and annoy her that I didn't bring the car to drive the >2km. We held hands and walked down the sidewalk as I squeezed her for information on her day.

Me: How was your day?
Her: Good.
Me: You were there 7 hours and I get a one word answer?
Her: It was a good day, thank you daddy.
Me: No, you just completed the sentence. Give me a sentence for each hour you were there.
Her: I don't wanna. I want to wait until we get home.
Me: It will be to crazy there, tell me now. Did you do nothing at school? If so, we could keep you at home and you could do nothing there. Then we could move your room to the basement and you'be practically be a 20 year old college student.
Her: I TOLD you I don't want to.
Me: Mmm, whiny. Somwone's a gwumpy gus.

And so it continued on home. I told her she needed a nap because her bad attitude would be a damper on her Mother's birthday.

Then we get home and discover that as prophesized by a friend, whose child had just developed chicken pox, that we would suffer the same fate. Indeed my lovely older daughter now has pustules over her poor little body, and is running a low temperature.

Now when I look at that conversation on the way home I realize I am an awful Dad. I just can't tell with the kids, they give me the same attitude so often, the one time in a hundred they actually have a good reason I seem like a monster.

So todays lesson is that as a parent I'm as inconsitent as a child learning to use the bathroom. Good most of the time, but when I'm off I have to sit in a load of it.