The last few weeks have been full of good dad stories and they are as widely varied as my respective childrens’ personalities.

First there was Michael’s (my oldest) birthday.  He turned 13…an official teenager.  Holy crap, how did we get here?  And how are we going to survive another 10 years of this?  He alternates between an amazing level of maturity and an infuriating level of childishness, seemingly on a minute-by-minute basis.  That means I never know whether to hug him or kick him in the ass.  Oh, well.

Next, there was Erin’s first soccer game of the season.  In the midst of a 10-0 defeat she twisted her knee and had to sit out half the game.  As an ex-soccer and ex-basketball player knee injuries are my worst nightmare, so I was more than a little worried about her.  That was until about an hour after the game when I found her jumping on the trampoline in the back yard.  Of course the pain returned instantly once chores were mentioned, but at least my nerves were spared.

The most entertaining moment came when Celeste took Justin, our youngest, to his appointment with the doctor last week.  It was a general check up that revealed two things: one, that he had the beginnings of a sinus infection that explained the ribbons of snot appearing on his clothes and two, that he had a pencil eraser stuck in his ear.  How long it was there we don’t know, but he reports that he’s hearing much better since the removal of the "obstruction." 

And finally to top it all off I’ve had the pleasure of taking a drawing class at Salem College with Michael the last two Mondays. Michael’s the only non-adult in the class and I was a little concerned that he’d be bored to tears, but I think he’s enjoying it.  If nothing else he has a new audience for his warped sense of humor. 

All I can say is that I’m loving every minute of the classes.  I think it’s the first thing I’ve done with any of the kids where we’re literally peers, and it has given me more great memories than I could have ever hoped for.  I’ve coached all three kids in various sports, but that’s just another patriarchal role.  The talking that Michael and I do during the drive to and from class is worth more than the tuition we paid, and working with him, comparing our drawings and sharing our frustrations is simply an amazing experience that every father should be blessed to have.  The class is scheduled for four more weeks and I’m already dreading their end, and trying to figure out what’s next.

I wish I could take credit for signing us up for the drawing class, but it was Celeste’s idea.  She doesn’t know it but when she signed us up she gave me a very early Father’s Day gift.  Now I hope I can find something equally amazing to do with Erin and Justin.

The adventures have only begun.