My kids’ dad had a baby and is getting married soon. I’m glad the kids are excited, though things seem very rushed to me. As long as they’re happy, I’m happy.
In the advent of the news, my son was saying, “Maybe you should find another parent for us so it’s easier for you.”
This is some philosophizing from the pre-school crowd for sure.
My daughter said, “Hey if you want to have another baby, that’d be fine because I would like to have another sister.” Not even putting past the idea that she could have another brother, instead.
I say, “I’m happy with the way things are and I’m happiest when I’m with you. I think we make the best team and we don’t need anybody else. Except of course Meemaw and Peepaw, and Tio and Tia.”
We were in the car and “Just the Two of Us” came on the radio. They weren’t paying attention and don’t know any better so I started singing, “Just the three of us… we can make it if we try, just the three of us, you, you and I.” They thought it was hilarious and started singing it mostly in tune on their own. I love finding some anthems for our little triarchy we’ve developed.
Maybe it’s not something I chose but clearly this single parent life has chosen me.
I try to show the kids some things from my childhood so one day, we watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for movie night. I relate to the single dad there (played by a middle-aged Dick VanDyke, relatabley) who happily knew he also had been chosen to parent his son and daughter, honestly never stopping to wonder whether he was doing a good job (something I myself agonize over). Still, someone to teach me some better viewpoints on parenting because we’re all just doing our best. No need to judge yourself.
But anyway, to my point here, there’s a song “You Two” that I sang to my daughter when the song came on, who was the only child awake at the time (with her brother having fallen asleep 5 minutes into movie night). We both danced around like 40-year-old Dick VanDyke.
“Someone to care for, to be there for. I have you two.” I touched her little nose.
“Someone to do for, muddle through for, I have you two.
Could be. We three. Get along so famously
‘Cause you two, have me
And I have you two, too.”
