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Or…shouldn’t take him.
I’m sure Thailand has plenty of kid friendly things he could see and do, but heishis father’s child. He would not only wanna play on the beach, but he’d also wanna do itwithTuck, talk to the locals, and learn all about bodypainting.
And I am not always the best mom. Fine. However, I’m not so bad that I would willingly let my four-year-old tag along to see and touch a bunch of naked strangers!
Tucker’s voice drops to a more worried tone when I don’t answer. “June?”
“Ducky ho!” our son shouts at the same time he springs to the tips of feet. “Ducky ho!” His finger extends the direction he wants us to take. “Ducky ho, Dad!”
Other parents around the lake don’t hesitate to toss us concerned glances.
Yeah.
I hear it.
Any way you paint it, it sounds super inappropriate.
All of a sudden, his excitement gets him rocking the boat. “Faster, Dad! Faster!”
My husband snaps his focus forward, “Little critter, can you-”
“It’s Koose Koose!” Lo squeals, bouncing up and down, increasing the unsteadiness tenfold. “We have to rescue you, Koose Koose!”
Rushing to assist in calming him down leads to me accidentally losing my hold on the paddler in the water. “CheeseandRembrandt.”
“We’re so close!” our son squawks.
Quickly leaning over to grab it occurs in tandem with Tucker trying to aid Lo in reaching the coveted prize. Unfortunately for everyone, the poorly timed action results in all three of us going overboard.
Becausethisis my life.
Because no matter how many years pass orWhere in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?I go, I seem to create disaster.
Epic. Clearly on Karma’s shit list. Disaster.
It doesn’t take more than a few seconds for me to break the surface due to the lifejacket and being in a portion of the lake shallow enough to stand in.
The second I’m there, my stare shoots to Lo who is already on his feet with the water up to his neck as his tiny hands capture the white rubber duck in a victorious fashion. “Gotchu!”
“Yeah?!” Tucker suddenly asks, voice flooded with joy in spite of being soaking wet. “Did we rescue him in time?”
“We did!” Lo announces while poorly dog paddling over to him. “We did it crew! Arrgggg!”
We echo the sentiment back on warm chuckles. “Arrgggg!”
Once our son is within my husband’s reach, he swiftly swoops him up, drags the canoe closer, and safely drops him in. “Captain Lo, I’m glad we completed our mission.”
Little Critter proudly tips his chin higher and settles the toy in his lap.
“However, since we have a new member on board, we need to have a ship meeting again.”
His pout is instant. “Why?”
“Because things have changed. And whenever things have changed or are changing – especially in afamily, which is what this crew is – it’s best totalkabout it. To make sure everyone understands what’s going on. How everyonefeelsabout the changes.”
Tucker’s statement sends a sharp ache throughout my chest.
“Everyone is entitled to express their feelings or thoughts about a situation even if there’s a chance other people might not like it.” Tucker gently places his paddle inside the watercraft. “Just because it isn’t what someone mightwantto hear doesn’t mean that it isn’t what needs to be said.” At that, my husband shifts his gaze to me. “First we’ll talk about adding the mini Koose Koose to our toy collectionand thenwe’ll discuss everyone’s feelings about Dad travelingalonefor the first time in years.”
