"Takes 'em a bit," he said with his own laugh and a nod of his head. Those early days when they made sounds more than words, tried their best to parrot back what they heard, it could take a little while for them to figure it all out, but it made for good laughs, and for good memories that could be shared with them later, too, when they were old enough to say those words right, and you could tell embarrassing stories about all of the ways that they said them wrong. "It gets easier, but the first time the girls climbed the stairs of the school bus to go to kindergarten was definitely a rough day," and now he enjoyed the routine, walking them down to the bus stop every morning -- or driving on the rainy days -- and meeting them at the end of the driveway on those days when he could get out early to meet them, otherwise knowing someone would be happily waiting for them in his absence. "Well, there you go, you've already got a big one under the belt. But that's normally where the "I hate you!" ends up slipping out, when you say no to a bag of candy or chips that you already have at home," but he was laughing as he said it, having long heard that those squabbles didn't actually mean much. Every kid did it. Cage had put his dad through hell in public, he was sure. "Oh, well -- since a pediatrician tells me no, I guess I better keep the kiddos away from power equipment," he tapped the side of his head with a smirk, knowing that he had incredibly strict rules about his work shop, that the kids respected them ten fold. He had only just recently allowed Colton to operate some of the tools, and even then, only with his strict supervision at all times. "I don't, either," he admitted with a shake of his head at the mention of not having time, "but I carve out as much as I can to do what I can. I feel like dad would want me to do it, so I do it. It's always been an important cause for me. I do think that we'll see a lot of money coming in at the Fling, though, you're right on that."
Wrinkling his nose before he could catch himself as JJ talked about his parentings thinking that Mia should have a mother, worried about how she would grow up without one, he knew that it was an outdated view to have. Cage had lived more of his life without a mother than with one, and even though every memory he had of her was precious and something that he held close to his chest, he knew that some of his siblings didn't have that. Kellan and Cage could remember her, he knew Harland probably did, too. Kenzie and Dylan had been much younger, and Clementine had never known Victoriaā¦ everyone did okay for themselves. Turned out without any lasting damage. Were good people. "I think any parent has worried about doing right by their kid," he began carefully, "but doing right isn't always needing to be the picture perfect, traditional family. I'm grateful beyond words that Colton has Cordelia as a mother now, butā¦ I raised him as a single dad for most of his life," with the exception of his short-lived marriage thrown in the middle somewhere, "and I was raised by a single dad for most of my life. There's way worse things in life than only having one parent if that one parent loves you. If you find the right person to bring into Mia's life, that's great. And trust me, you'll know when it's right. I had a whole slew of hang ups about bringing women home with me before Cordelia. Butā¦ if it's not right, if you don't find that person?" he shrugged both of his shoulders, "doesn't mean she's going to have any less of a good life as long as you give her a good life."
