Jul 07
27
Rain, Rain Go Away
Posted by Stephen27
Tags: Daniel, father-son, fears
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Daniel and I went ice skating tonight. It’s cheap and not crowded in the summer. Debbie dropped up off at the arena and went on with the other two boys to do the week’s grocery shopping.
We were done, changed and back outside a good half hour before Debbie got back from shopping to pick us up. At first we went to the playground beside the arena. It was starting to get dark though, and Daniel was worried that Mummy hadn’t arrived. It didn’t take long for that worry to become full-fledged panic. The fact that he was safely with Dad didn’t seem to count. So he resolutely set out to find Mummy. No matter that the grocery store was several miles away. I knew which way Debbie would be driving and it was a warm evening, so we set out along the sidewalk. We got about two blocks before it started to rain.
The rain wasn’t so bad at first but I knew we’d get wet all the same, so I pulled Daniel under a tree to shelter. That lasted all of a minute. Daniel’s quest for Mummy was urgent. Rain wasn’t going to put him off. No, he assured me, he didn’t mind getting wet. So we resumed our pilgrimage. About three minutes later it started to pour. Now we were both absolutely soaked through.
Being out in the rain in the summer doesn’t bother me too much, but this was a new experience for Daniel. It was quite dark by now and the rain obscured visibility further. Those raindrops were really pelting down. I suggested going back to the arena and sheltering from the rain while we waited to be picked up. He readily agreed. But now he was well and truly miserable. He’d failed at his quest to find Mummy, he was upset at the rain for soaking him and forcing him to retrace his steps, and he was probably a little cold and uncomfortable in his wet clothes.
We made it back to the arena and stood just inside the entrance doors, peering out into the darkness waiting for our ride. In due course Debbie picked us up and we arrived home. After a warm shower, warm pajamas and a slice of raisin toast, Daniel was feeling on top of things. He was home, he was safe, he was dry, he had Mummy. In the days ahead I’ll try to spin the experience as an adventure, rather than an ordeal. Hopefully he’ll remember the novel, exciting parts and forget the unhappiness.
The irony is that we really need the rain. The lawn is a brown expanse of dead stubble. Plants are dying in the garden (the weeds do just fine, thank you). So I didn’t mind a bit getting soaked. It really put a damper on Daniel’s evening though.
