Most of the time, I tell Niko yes, we can do that thing you want to do or eat that food you are craving. When I tell him no, I can’t just say because I said so. I mean, he is 6 years old, and he knows a lot more about things than when he was younger. I need a valid reason that he can understand.
Let me explain…
So, last Sunday, around 3 pm, he asked me if we could go to the playground at our community center. I was like, of course we can. We arrived a few minutes later, and he was bored because he wanted to climb something. He then asked me if we could go to Urban Air. I said no and explained it’s too late in the day to go, and we school the next day. If you had mentioned Urban Air earlier in the day, yes, I would have done it. He was mad. Not mad, but MAD with a capital letter. I told him, we could go the following weekend, but he wanted to go now because the following weekend, he may not be in the mood for Urban Air. He was still MAD. When we arrived hone, Nina heard him screaming in the garage and came running down the stairs. She thought he was hurt. Nope, I explained…MAD because he wants to go to Urban Air. Nina also explained the same thing I did, too late and school tomorrow. But we can plan for the following weekend. We even wrote Urban Air on the family calendar so he could remember.
With Niko still MAD, I had to think fast and distract him. I knew we had toilet paper from Office Depot/Max that we got when Covid first started almost 2 years ago. I asked him if he wanted to get mummified in toilet paper, and he said yeah! So, Nina and I wrapped him up and then he broke free. Then, I got wrapped up and broke free. And with all the toilet paper on the floor, the cat got into it! It worked as he wasn’t mad.
On the way to school Friday morning, Niko was already talking about going to Urban Air with me. I think he was excited. Even when was going to sleep on Friday night, I told him that he needs a really good sleep, so I don’t have a tired Niko. Sometimes, he gets up earlier than normal when he knows he has something the next day and he doesn’t want to go out. He did wake-up at 5:40 am yesterday, but it was for a quick pee. I tucked him back in and he slept till 7:20 am. That was a great sleep. He needed it. During the school week, I wake him up at 6:30 am, and this past week, he wanted more sleep. One day, he asked me if he could skip school so he could sleep! I was like no, you can sleep in on the weekend.
So, yesterday, Niko and I went to Urban Air. I can’t even remember the last time it was just Niko and me doing something fun. He has either been sick, tired, or it was the three of doing something fun. I like our adventures out in the world, and I told him that after we do Urban Air, we will need to eat lunch somewhere. He suggested Freddy’s and I suggested a local seafood restaurant, and we both said no to each other!
I purchased tickets on GroupOn because it was much cheaper. Even though they said I would get a confirmation email, I never got it. When we arrived, all I had was a printout from GroupOn. Not acceptable! They told me I had to download the app and register and from there, I would see the Urban Air voucher. Well, it took me a few minutes to do that and then Niko and I had to print out our waiver at a Kiosk. Then, once I had them both, we were finally set free to play.
Niko had fun holding my hand and showing me around and we did a few things together, but mostly I watched him, and it made me happy seeing him happy. We ended up having lunch at Urban Air. Or should I say, we had pizza, water, a rice Krispy treat for Niko, and a cherry Icee for me.
Nina was nearby getting new tires for her car, so after they finished, she sent me a text that said, come to front for kisses. My reply was, we in back eating. So, she came inside and found us, and we both got kisses. I was joking around, but I told Nina to claim me as I noticed a few ladies looking at me! Hey, I am good looking, was well dressed, have blue eyes, am nice, and have a son!
A few days ago, I promised Niko that we could either have a sofa sleepover together or I can sleep in his bed. Well, last night he opted for me to sleep in his bed. Yeah, he likes me. Yesterday, throughout the day, he kept looking at me and saying I love you along with a big hug. Oh, I love being a dad. So, when I was ready to join him last night, he was snoring so loud that I couldn’t handle it. I left him! Then, when he woke up at 4:45 am for a quick pee, he asked me if I forgot to sleep with him. I was like yes, but you were snoring so loud that I left. I tried again after that quick pee, but snoring was still super loud, so I left again. And, when he woke up for good at 6:15 am, I told him he was snoring, and I had to leave him.
Yeah, I could’ve sucked it up and just dealt with his snoring and be cranky and tired today. But I need to take care of myself first when it comes to sleep.
