Watch this!

“Watch this mom! Did you see me? Did you watch it?”
There may be no other phrase in the history of parenthood that is so well weathered by children under five than the redundant and exhausting, “Watch this!” It seems that kids will master the expression and utilize it every chance they get.

Our boys engage in a lot of independent play. But sometimes, it seems a kid just needs an audience. Whether it’s “shunting cars and hauling freight”, driving racecars around the card-table race track, or just having a buddy to color with, our boys apparently receive more satisfaction from the activity if an adult gives a watchful eye.

Sometimes a brother is enough of a crowd to play up to. After all, one can always count on the other to laugh at whatever nonsensical joke has been uttered, as long as the punchline is (predictably) “poop”. And the ear-piercing, obnoxious, dying-pig snorts never fail to elicit a great big belly laugh from one another when all a parent wants to do is say “Shhh!”

Other times, nothing less than the full attention of a grown up will do. Last week Cooper asked me if I wanted to sit down at the table and watch him eat his breakfast. I told him, no thanks, that I thought he had it covered, and he continued on with his boiled eggs and bacon.

Brisco, on the other hand, is not so easily appeased. Just this morning, my attention was required as the boy spent 20 minutes trying to trap dust particles that were floating in a ray of sunshine coming through the living room window. It was a first discovery for him, and it seemed he needed a spectator for this special “Watch this!” debut.

Sometimes, a parent’s attentiveness is not so much required as it is just needed for an added laugh. Our kids have a habit of making silly faces, and the more eyes that are upon them, the sillier they seem to be. It’s become an actual contest to see which child can contort their bodies and faces into the most ridiculous of shapes and grimaces.

There are certain times when our kids are dying for us to watch, but only at their command. One day Cooper was playing in the equipment room at the ball park. I went to check on him, but he quickly shewed me away. It seems he didn’t want anyone to see him until he was good and ready, fully dressed-out in his “chesty” and “leggers”, with only his big brown eyes shining beneath that huge mask to identify him as the catcher.

Then there are the times when a parent’s attention is simply expected. Like the countless hours they spend rounding those bases in front of a crowd full of people-beating those throws and sliding into home. You can bet when the dust clears, the first face they are looking for in the crowd is mom’s. And with a wave or a thumb’s up and a baby-Bulldog smile, they are off again, without a care in the world but getting dirty and being safe at home, knowing that mom and dad are watching nearby. These are our prime-time “Watch this!” moments.

I know we’re lucky that they still want our attention. In another few years, they’ll focus on, “Are we there yet?” And soon after that, it will be all grunts and moans and the answer to every question we ask will be, “Fine.”

But these early years are the innocent ones when something as senseless as a finger up the nose or a double back flip with a two-dollar monster truck seems like the re-invention of the wheel, and there’s nobody with whom children wish to share these experiences more than the ones they love.

So for me, there’s no better way for a mom to spend her time than keeping one eye on the kid and one on the clock, as a simple reminder that before I can blink, these uncomplicated, unpredictable and unsurpassed days will be a thing of the past. “Watch this!”

And that’s All in a day’s work!