Lately I have met challenges that really has forced me to bring out every ounce of creativity and patience that I have been able to find. My son is so curious, he is quite independent and he has the will of his mother, so as soon as the day starts, I start trying to balance what he wants with all the other needs in the house. Today he woke me up at 6.30 and wanted to go and play with his toy train. He wakes me up with his face a few centimeters from mine, and when he sees that I am awake he gives me the happiest of smiles and starts to talk about his train while crawling to my feet, removing my pajamas socks and putting slippers on instead. Since my wife was working late last night I wanted to let her sleep, so I let our son drag me to his room where he started to happily play with the train while I got dressed and made my morning routines (which includes starting the washing machine).
Then comes the challenge to make my son want to go downstairs with me so that I can start preparing our breakfast. A little begging did not take me anywhere; finally I suggested that he could help me roll up the blind in front of the window at the stairwell, and that appeared to be more exciting than the train. So down we went, I prepared breakfast and he was playing with a puzzle he found in his toys bag. We woke up our lady and the three of us ate together, and while my wife got ready for her work day the boys were cleaning up the kitchen before preparing for our morning outing, starting with the time consuming process of brushing my son’s teeth.
Before going out, I also wanted to brush my teeth, as well and hang the washed clothes to dry. The bathroom is the most exciting place for my son, and at the same time the most difficult for me to supervise. I was brushing my teeth with one foot on the toilet lid, while trying to make my son play with the toy ambulance on the floor instead of putting his mothers dryer in the washing machine all while wanting to open the toilet lid. When it came to hanging the laundry on hangers it was fun for a minute or two to hand me the empty hangers, but then his focus became to flush the toilet and try to put the toy ambulance into the washing machine, so I ended up buttoning my wife’s shirt with one hand standing on one foot.
When we finally made it outside, we went for a walk with the babycar (pram). I wanted to explore some still unexplored areas close to where we live, and my son was happy to sit and look at the cars and the birds; for a little while, then he wanted to walk (or rather run) by himself. As it happened we had come to a countryside lane with no traffic, and as we were walking/running, suddenly there was an english Hello coming in our direction. I looked over and saw an elderly farmer’s couple who was curious about us. I was impressed by the man’s English skills, and he was very interested in where I came from and what I did. When I explained that I was taking care of our son while my wife was working, he thought for a moment and concluded that I am a housewife (when he said that I recognized a big warm smile behind my mask and thought that I should maybe add that title to my bio).
We said goodbye to the couple and in order to encourage my son to leave the numberplate on the farmer’s little truck alone and continue our walk up towards the mountain instead, I told him that there is probably a truck or fire engine a little further on if we just keep going. It took some time to convince him, but finally we left the numberplate and ran happily up the lane. And lo and behold, what did we find on a manhole cover if not a fire engine. After having spent some time discussing the image, I tried to convince my son that he should climb into the pram again, but no, he wanted to keep walking, touching everything he saw on his way. When he started to trip over more and more and finally resorted to crawling on the asphalt, I offered some fruit juice and took the opportunity to put him in the pram while he was drinking.
Being at the same time a photographer who wants to take photos and a housewife father to a little boy who needs his fathers full attention is the most impossible combination of roles so far in my life. He does not stop for a moment to let me take a breath before taking a photo, so his hat was in focus instead of the fire engine, the beautiful firns got a onehanded walk-by-shooting treatment, and getting a photo of my son posing in front of the scenery stretching out beneath us was just out of the question. Patience, I tell myself, give it a little time and maybe you two will enjoy exploring photography together.
Although we have not yet come halfway on this housewife’s ordinary Wednesday, I will not make this post too long so instead I will offer the conclusion next week. Please come back then!
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