I forgot to mention yesterday that there were some Ridgeway parents that decided to get together at the end of the day in the Calhouns' front yard. I told Mom I was zapped and just wanted to stay inside and get cozy in front of the TV. But only after putting you two to bed and hearing voices outside did I realize kids were also invited. Gus came down, saw me eating a bowl of cereal, and said, "There's a lot of people in the Calhouns' front yard. I think something is going on." We convinced him to go back to bed. But then after 20 minutes or so, our doorbell rang. It was Jack Bailey, asking if Gus could come play. I said he had already gone to bed and closed the door. When I turned around, Gus was watching with big eyes at the top of the stairs.
"Are we lame parents?" Mom asked me. And I said, "Tonight we may be. I'll go talk to him."
Gus was reading in his bed and trying to act like it didn't bother him to hear his friends all hanging out on his street without him, but he avoided eye contact with me because I knew he was hiding his true feelings. He said, "Dad, why do you get to eat cereal?" I knew he didn't really care about the cereal; he just felt like things weren't fair. I told him I ate a really good dinner -- two plates! -- so I could have some cereal. "Dad, if I eat a really good dinner...instead of getting cereal...can I just stay up a little later?" He said it calmly. It was a real negotiation and I liked his tactic. I could see how much it bothered him to miss out, so I said, "Gus, Mom and I are extremely proud of you. If you promise me that you'll be a really good listener tomorrow..." He knew where the conversation was headed. He finally made eye contact with me and I smirked. He threw his book down. "I PROMISE I'LL BE A GOOD LISTENER. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, DAD."
"Get your snow clothes on."
"YOU'RE THE BEST DAD IN THE WHOLE WORLD. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I PROMISE I'LL BE THE BEST LISTENER."
I went to clear it with Mom, who agreed he should be able to go. We messaged some of the other parents to send him home when the time was right, but the Calhouns later asked if he could spend the night.
It's a strange mix of parental anxiety and absolute pride to have Gus moving around so independently, but Mom and I love that he's confident enough to enjoy social events without us.
Anyway, he and the rest of the boys rolled into our house cold just before lunch today and Mom set them all up to make their own pizzas. Gus added Smarties, Jack Bailey added M&Ms, and William added gummy bears. Watching them move around between houses in a pack reminds me of my time with Rory, Ray, and Kyle in junior high school. I'm glad he's got a group at second grade.
Later in the afternoon, I took Magnus to Micah's birthday party at Impact Martial Arts so he could develop his "ninja skills."
Little Rock, Arkansas. 1.11.2025 - 11.52am.
