Big Boys

Garage Roof - launch pad during Snowmaggedon

**Before anyone starts calling child protective services, let me just say that no animals (or children) were harmed in any way during the filming of these stunts.**

The boys had finished hours of shoveling after a huge snowstorm last winter.  They were having snowball fights and shaping a large igloo in our front yard.  They wanted more.  There was so much snow and it seemed to be calling to them.  We asked for their help with one more project - shovel out the garage door.  The snow had drifted and packed up against the door into a nice, firm, wall of white.   Ingeniously, they filled their sleds with snow and carried it to other areas of the backyard to dump.

Just when I thought that I heard a cup of hot chocolate beckoning, I looked up to see my sons on our garage roof.  The high packed snow made the trek not only possible but very easy.  Then, I saw it.  The little orange, plastic, disc was on the roof too.  My son's butt was in it and perched at the edge.

Air time

We negotiated for awhile, laughed an anxious laugh, checked the snow padding at ground level, and said, "O.K., Go!"

They were thrilled.  They were also scared (had they been secretly wanting us to say, "No?").  It was truly a wonderful moment.  They felt larger than life and couldn't believe how cool we were for letting them take on these feats of daring.  It wasn't enough though.  "Dad, Mom, you have to try it!"  As I was insisting that my role was to keep a firm hold on the phone so that I could call "911" at a moment's notice, my husband climbed up to the roof.  What!?!  Unbelievable.  Earth-shattering.  "DAD'S going to do it!" 

We had spent a big part of the day with two boys who were offering tremendous help to us and to our neighbors.  They were in fact, acting like little men with a very high level of responsibility and an intense work ethic.  My husband reminded me and them that hard work only feels good when it is balanced with hard play.  Teaching my sons how to be little men happened best when my husband showed that he is still just a big boy.