Dad's guilty pleasure

Recently I witnessed one of the most inspiring displays of determination. My son's first bout with Scotch tape. I was given the idea to loosely wrap clear adhesive tape, sticky side out, around my son's wrist. Then take a walk and collect leaves, twigs, and such. Thus creating a "nature walk bracelet".

Well, being the little boy that he is, the first round of tape was off before we could get out of the door. Not only had he taken it off, he had torn it into pieces. These bits of tape were now stuck to his hands. This is where the fun begins!

My son is now flinging his hands out one by one with forceful and deliberate intent trying to throw the tape on the floor. Imagine trying to unfurl a yo-yo but no matter how hard you try it is tuck to your hand. Over and over, he tried again and again becoming more determined with each attempt.

Once I realized what was going on I didn't intervene immediately. I watched to see how he handled the situation. I began to chuckle but soon went into a fit of silent hysterical laughter. The harder he tried the funnier it became. He never noticed me because he was too busy with this "new type of paper" stuck to his hands. After a while I began to feel a bit guilty getting a laugh out of the prediciment my son was in. The guilt was eased however, as I realized he wasn't frustrated or upset by the situation. If anything, he found it fascinating.

I soon stooped down and tried to explain tape while re-applying a fresh piece to his wrist. Off we went on our walk. Most of the things he wanted to pick up along the way were not appropriate for the bracelet, but we now have a wonderful piece of tape with leaves, flowers, and twigs hanging on the refrigerator door.

Making a "nature bracelet" on a walk around the block would not have been my first choice of activites, but it definately provided the best laugh of the day!