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| It's the little things that take time... |
Just overheard in the basement:
Zach: "Wow, Dad! You are going to be pretty sad when this basement is done, huh? What are you going to do with yourself?"
Dan: "Oh, I don't know. There is always another project."
Zach: "Do you want to build a house with me next?"
Dan: "You know what, Zach? I would absolutely love to build a house with you."
GIVE ME STRENGTH!
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| Seriously? I couldn't make this stuff up. |
I don't really know what to make of this exchange. I knew when we bought a '76 house that "just needed some cosmetic work" we would actually need to work on it. I am proud of what we have done to date on a minimal budget and with a whole lot of sweat equity. The problem, as with all things, is finding balance. We have done well. Do not get me wrong. Dan is a great Dad. He just spent countless rink hours coaching ice hockey, he plays with the kids, he helps with homework, he tucks them in at night, he is in no way a hands-off Dad. However, when he is in his zone, putting a "push" on a project, it inevitably takes away from time with the kids. He has been taking advantage of this short break between hockey, baseball and boating season to make a huge amount of progress on finishing our basement. I support him. I try to keep the kids distracted and out of his way when he needs them to be. I entertain. I do stuff with them. After all, we can't both be focused on the project because who would be hanging with the kids, right? I always wonder how the kids perceive this time "away". I have periodically worried that they will remember their Dad time not in terms of years, but the specific project that marked the time.
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| Progress! |
Lately, since the kids are getting older and they are invested in the process, the balance has shifted. I think it is partly because they are maturing. That, and Dan has an amazing ability to engage them. I can't seem to interest them the same way when I am emptying a dishwasher or folding laundry. Curious, huh? The kids now hang with Dan working on his project. The basement has become exciting to them. It is peculiar, but it brings me comfort. Perhaps they won't look back on these years as ones they watched their Dad work. Rather, they will look back fondly on the time they helped Dad...and they will learn some things along the way. One thing is for sure, they will learn that if you want something sometimes you have to work for it. Not a bad
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My favorite corner...
slated for workout area. We'll
see if it's still my favorite then! |
lesson to take away from all this, I guess. Oh, and a new knee hockey rink...that's an added bonus! They have already been on eBay searching for scoreboards and college pennants to decorate their newest project. Let the sheet rock hanging continue!
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The only item that hasn't moved through
the entire process...Dan's football shrine
made by his high school girlfriend. |
