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Shoot the Moon

By: Glenn A. Hascall

"Why in the world did you buy that?" my wife asks as she looks at the trinkets my children have just acquired.

Oh, I must be a bad dad. You see, I bought them the very trinkets judged inferior and unworthy of long term play. Then again I knew what I was doing. I even knew that my wife would not be thrilled, but I had an ulterior motive.

My children came with me to one of the famed dollar stores in our town. I gave them two dollars and some change. There were no restrictions on what they could purchase - as long as the total didn't go over two dollars.

You would have thought I had given then a fortune. In their minds this was a jackpot day and they had winnings to spend.

My oldest checked all the bargains and split her two dollars up on three separate bargains and still had enough to buy a couple of taffy sticks. My youngest just looked for that one toy he could afford and then he pestered his sister till she gave him a taffy stick.

Then I had to explain to my wife what it was that was going through my mind.

I knew that the toys would either break in a short period of time or would wind up at Goodwill, but the memory of an unexpected childhood extravagance.

We have to tell our children 'NO' on a regular basis, so finding times when we can say 'yes' is an effective way to provide memories our children will cherish.

It doesn't have to be something that costs money (however small the financial investment), it could be a walk, a trip to the gym to play ball, an hour of play with Dad in the park, a ride in the country, doing a project everyone enjoys together or even sharing in mundane household chores in creative ways.

As parents, sometimes we can get so overrun with structure and schedules that we miss those moments when we can toss a little caution to the wind and simply enjoy the presence of our children in creative ways.

My personal bent includes structure and schedule, but I have found such freedom as a dad in the discovery of enjoyable, memorable and spontaneous moments that I plan for without my kids knowing.

My children will only be children for so long. I hope that they have a few moments to look back on, laugh about and remember including the day Dad let them buy whatever they wanted. Written by Glenn A. Hascall