Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Day 103/365 - A More Intimate Portrait

I didn't take many photos today.  I got a few shots of EJ smashing rocks with a hammer - but nothing of A. or myself.  Which is okay.

A. spent most of her day at school - as she does most weekdays.

I spent my day getting frustrated at a particularly spirited four year old today.
It didn't help that I was already frustrated with two of my jobs - nothing seemed to be going right as I worked from home today.

So, we went out and bought a cheap hammer at Home Depot.
The five dollar, probably not going to build a house, model.
EJ's first hammer.

And I taught my little dude how to smash rocks.

It worked.  We both enjoyed the experience of controlled destruction.
I didn't get a photo of me in the process - because I wasn't part of the destruction.  I sat on the sidelines and reminded him to keep his safety glasses on.  I also made a mental note to buy him a pair of real safety goggles - so he's not using stolen-from-the-movie-theatre 3D glasses.  But the hammer wielding was all him.  And so were the photos.

I was the shadow figure who made dinner whilst bouncing back behind her computer to work, then went right back to work after cooking.  Today I wasn't really all that present - it was an off day.  And so our lack of photos fits.

A. took advantage somewhat of that situation - and enjoyed relative anonymity after school, retreating upstairs to her room and her music.  If mom wasn't forcing us all to be present and involved and "in the picture," she wasn't going to press the issue.  So there are no photos with her, either.

I remembered to take a family photo eventually, when the system shut down for the night and I allowed myself to venture out of the work focus that consumed a large part of today.  By then, however, A. had been up in bed for over an hour and I found EJ all curled up, asleep on the chair next to Grandpa, while the baseball game played on the television.
It's not my proudest day as a parent - I allowed us all to slip out of the picture today.

But maybe the occasional day of anonymity, without the constant nagging of the maternal paparazzi, can be a treat?

Okay, yes - I quickly snapped one photo of me at the end of the day.

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