"Dad, I want to go pee ..."

Making orange juice with my son

For about the last month, every time I sit down for dinner, and I'm about to take my first fork full of food, or the first fork full of my second helping, this is what my 3-year-old son tells me.  Almost without exception.

There are two things I can't figure out.  One is this: why does he always need to go to washroom, exactly when I am about to start eating?

The other is: why haven't I started planning ahead and take him to the washroom before we sit down for dinner?  For some reason, the thought never occurs to me before, and just as I'm lifting my first forkful, I hear him say, "Dad ..." and in the pause that follows I suddenly remember that, once again, I forgot to take him.

For the last 6 months or so he has wanted that I do everything for him and with him; my wife and I believe that this is somehow related to the pregnancy and presence of the new baby.  So it's not even a possibility that someone else could take him, without going through a process of convincing that is longer and requires more effort than just taking him.  During the past month, 3 of his grandparents were here who were eager to do anything and everything for him.

Reading the Hobbit for Bedtime

"Jorge, let me take you," one of them would inevitably offer.

"No," he always replied with a clear confidence.  "My dad.  Only my dad," pointing to me, just to make sure they knew who he meant.

There have been a few times where he needs to go twice during one meal - once as I lift my first forkful, once when I just begin my second serving.  And he always goes.  It's not fake or consciously planned.

I'm going have to do something to remind myself.

Making pancakes with my son.

On the other hand, I should probably just enjoy the time that he wants to do everything with me and everything I do is right.  The only thing that I do wrong right now (in his eyes) is that whenever food runs out, he thinks that I ate it all.  For example if there was a package of cookies, and later there are none left, he complains - "Ai Papa!" starting with this Mexican form of scolding, "Don't eat all the cookies!"  When I'm taking food that he likes, he watches carefully that I don't finish the package, or take too much. Other than that, he sees almost everything I do as correct, and wants to do everything with me - for the moment.

I'm sure that a few years down the road he'll reach a point that he wants to do nothing with me and everything I do will be wrong.  Considering that, I'll enjoy this current stage while it lasts.

(Enjoy the pictures of some of our favourite activities together; not entirely related to this post, but nice reflections of the time we spend together.)