My Boy and His Dog [My Story]

My Boy and His Dog

After 15 years teaching full time, teaching now happens every day in our home. It has been like that for 10 years now.  And guess who gets the little boy who hates to sit for anything, whose mind is crazy active and who, at any given moment, is somewhere. Just somewhere. Let me take you back to the ball field a few years ago. To think our youngest was conceived at a ball field would be understandable, but I assure you that didn’t happen. Anything after that, save his actual birth, is fair game. (No pun intended) As soon as he was mobile everyone knew him.  Why? Because he.was.everywhere. And fast!

The bathrooms were an pretty good distance from the quad of fields. I remember one day asking a friend if she’d keep an eye on him while I ran up to the bathroom. Within our circle of moms watching both the game and our other children playing whatever keeps them occupied for the 18 hours (I kid!) we’re there, another friend chimes in.

“I’ll help her!”

Okaaayyy.

Then she says, “I’ve never seen anyone disappear so quickly. One second he’s right on our feet and the next he’s nowhere to be found.”

It was true. Funny thing (that wasn’t so funny as I made my fast trek to/from the restroom) is that this mom was the mom of 4 children including her twin toddlers.  And who was a handful? MINE!  True, true. He is. Comments  from friends and strangers are a consistent thing even to this day with my little guy. He’s a unique guy. A real gem. Always leaving adults both speechless and amazed but definitely entertained. Should that be counted on the plus side? My heart says absolutely yes.  (At this moment, I’m peeking over my screen as he plays with his  Spiderman, rolls a couple marbles around his hand because it “relaxes” him, crosses his arms in front of him in determination not to do what my eyes say he should be doing,  and…there he goes, back to work-whew!) But sometimes my mind just wonders.

Back to the ball field, he loves being outside. Homeschooling on days which require us sticking around home also requires-in no small way-that he gets outside. So, as he headed out with his backpack (for some unknown reason) to walk his dog, I decided to quietly follow him.

Like Dennis the Menace, his path was anything but straight.  It was, however, a wonderful thing to watch. My boy and his dog.