Steamy steam trains

Hats off to the people who do what they love, for the sake of what they love.

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Sam is turning 4 and last weekend we had a party for him and his friends at the Brisbane Bayside Steam Railway. The railway itself is a miniature sized station and a few kilometres of track. You get on at the platform, sit on the trains. You smell the burning coals that they put into the boiler, or hear them start the "diesel". And they take you for a ride around the bush.

It was a stinking hot day! The car thermometer read 40'C as we drove in. I couldn't stop sweating.

Still Sam's friends turned up. What champions. And the kids loved it! I was anxious about the heat - and whether we should have changed the venue given the heat. Then seeing the kids not phased - I relaxed some more. And the parents - who battled on too, enjoying the moment for what it presents.

I am heaps thankful for them.

Around and around on little tracks, the electric and steam trains ran. Up the hill, backwards to the remote station and back to the platform. There was even a "diesel" train (actually, it's a petrol). From what he's seen, Sam thinks you can pull start a diesel train haha.

It made Sam's day. 

----

The guys who show up twice a month to put on the rides, and throughout the month to maintain the track - they are amazing. They commit themselves to a place for the benefit of others.

I am heaps thankful for them.

Don't break our tower!

It was a spur of the moment on the day. 

Then again, I've been waiting for this day for a long time.

Sam NEEDED to build a lego tower. One that uses every piece of lego we have.

First we sorted the bits.

We built a heavy foundation. I built one side and Sam copied what I was doing.

We built the beams brick by brick. We even graded them according to their colour.

And when it got tricky, I gave Sam more sorting tasks.

And then needed to use up all the train tracks. 

By the end I had to rob bits off the tower because there were not enough bits to build the pylons for the scenic bend. This is the scenic bend on the right. You can see the spire is now a little shorter.

And then we had an idea. What would it be like to go for a ride on the train?

 I cannot wait for real Lego.

Scooter, Museums and all that Frass

We took the boys to the museum and to the parklands for a swim.
Afterwards, I asked Sam what was his favourite part.

Looking for the eggs!

In the museum, there was an area where you could see stuffed Australian animals and touch some fossils. One display was a glass cabinet of stick insects.

And then near the help desk, there was a sign that said something like:

"Help us find eggs in the frass!"

Sam responded to the call for help.

Sam loved it.

Sorting through poo with some tweezers and sometimes without, Sam looked for tiny stick insect eggs and put them on a petrie dish.

It looks like many others before him enjoyed it too.

What a great lesson for motivating people:
Make it voluntary.
Make it slightly tricky.
Disguise the disgusting with fancy words.

When you're ready

I had to make a decision - to keep trying or to give up.
Sam had to make a decision - to keep trying or to give up.

Sam gave up.
Then I gave up.

Giving up was the best decision I made in a while.


...

Sam loves hearing me read.
I've been wanting to "encourage" him to take the next step.
Sam is at the stage where he is so close to being able to sound out words by himself.
So this evening, while I was tired (yeah, Mistake #1) I thought he could have a go.

So the book a Thomas the Tank Engine book. It was titled "Sir Handel".

Sam got "S-i-r".
Before he tried the second word, Sam then gave up.

I tried to nudge him to try but he would not.
For some reason I decided that he had to at least try, or we would not read the book tonight.
Mistake #2.

To me, this was an important lesson too! You've got to at least give it a go!
(It seemed so reasonable at the time.)

...

Sam was distraught. He wanted to go to bed. He didn't want to "Read", at least not how I was showing him.
I was over it too. I knew he could make every one of those sounds.

When he eventually settled down, I asked him, and he said he didn't like reading!

Warning. Danger. Warning. Danger.
I stopped in my tracks.

Moments later, I decided to do a complete backflip on my decision. I perked up, smiled at him and said, "Sam, let me just read this story to you tonight."

NO! Sam didn't want to go through the trauma again.

I read the title of the book out loud. "Sir Handel".  "S-i-r H-a-n-d-e-l".
Sam laughed. A laugh of relief.

I kept reading. And Sam sat with me as I read.
We finished the whole book. He loved it.

...

For a moment this evening, I was about to trade in the boy's delight in reading for a stupid challenge I made up on the spot.

I didn't mean to exert pressure to push him along. But I quickly found myself doing that exact same thing.  

...

Sometimes it's better to let things go at their natural pace. And that's the fastest way.

"No I am not your children"

I had the most bizarre argument with Sam the other day.

As per our evening routine, I was reading a picture Bible to Sam. On this particular day, we read about Abraham. God had promised Abraham lots of descendants, as many as the stars in the sky.

I proceeded to ask whether I had any children. Sam paused. He didn't say anything.

So I said,

I do have children. You are one of my children, Sam.

No, I'm not! 

(what???) Yes, you are. And Jimmy is too.

But I go to kindy and Jimmy goes to Gymboree! I am not your children.

You can still go to kindy and Jimmy can still go to Gymboree, but you are both our children.

But I don't like to go to work. I go to kindy.

!!!




Baffled and not keen to confuse both of us even more, I called it for the day.

I got worms

Before two weeks ago, Sam would not touch worms. 

He just would not. No matter how much I insisted.

We went camping with our best friends and their kids over that stinking hot 41'C weekend.  

The mums found worms out of the grass, by the tap. 

So they gave them to our children to play. 

And here they are, holding and talking about worms. 

Wow!

Unfortunately I was too busy screwing around trying to put up the tents and didn't notice how the mums did this. They made it look so easy. 

Not daring anyone. 

Not forcing anyone.

Just pick it up and talk about it. And let them choose to touch it or not.

I think that's how it goes. 

You can't brute force curiosity into young explorers (or anyone).  I learn this time and time again.

Did I mention we had spaghetti after that? The boys ate heaps.

I think the dishes were washed in the same water too. 

Camping is great for dads. And kids. Not great for sleep. Small price to pay.

Kinda impatient

So Sam has been using a few new words I've been trying to teach him.

Sam was excited we were going camping.
Sam knew it was kind share with Jimmy.
Sam learnt that daddy can be impatient* with him. I'm working on that. So far, each time I ask him to forgive me, he does.

They are far from being in his vocab. But he is beginning to know what they mean. I give plenty of examples.

----------------
impatient*

So this evening, I parked the digital camera on the bed side table because Jimmy is having this moment with mummy, and I wanted to catch that on video.

Sam finishes his milk and I ask him to take the cups and put them on the bench. In doing so he knocks over the camera, and lands on the floor.

SAM!!!
I shout in distress.

Obviously knowing he did something that displeased me, he swings his arms as he calmly and light heartedly apologises, not knowing he is still holding cups with leftover milk in them

Sorry daddy.

SAM!!! Watch the milk!

The poor boy wanted to pee now. I know he did not need to pee. He wanted to get out of the situation. Who wouldn't.

I did find the balls to say sorry to Sam and how I was wrong to blame him. It didn't stick because he wanted to move on to read his bedtime story. Will try and talk to him more tomorrow. It's important for a man to know his shortcomings and to admit them.

----------------


One thing I have been patient about is coming up with ideas for a book to my boys.

Whenever I've had arguments with my dad, I've thought about writing down a series of notes, titled "this is not how you connect with your kids".  I never got to composing those works.

This could be different though.

There is a growing circle of people around me who just might support me to write this.
Assuming I only have boys, and that I might have more kids who are boys, or that I might not have any more kids, it will be called something simple like, "Be A Man".

Sort of like "Fakts" for those who watched Harvey Krumpet. But more fundamentally useful. 

Here's a fairly young bloke who have started to figure things out. Not bad for a 28 year old Alden.

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-be-a-real-man/

Heck I'm still figuring that stuff out. 

2) I still find it natural (and easier!) to blame people for my screw ups.

3) I'm getting better at being on time but I do like to milk that last minute...

7) How to relax... Sigh.

The point here is - a lot of things in the book are by no means mastered by the author, but my hope is in the process of writing, the author has a better chance at mastery.