I didn't really mean this particular element of my parenting skills to come to light in quite such a public manner, nevertheless I was powerless to stop the eager to please energy of small...
As any father may care to admit (possibly only amongst male friends), the first conscious, attention seeking "BURP" from your offspring is a fine moment. A moment that consolidates all of the time spent over the breakfast / lunch / tea table teaching the small ones what is, or indeed is not, deemed funny.
In our household burping and farting is pretty damned hilarious, at least it is from the "English" side, and that's down to me BTW. Anyhow, this is probably due to my growing up riveted to such masters of the art as Rik Mayall / Ade Edmonson and others from the wonderful Comic Strip presents, The Young Ones, Bottom, Filthy Rich & Catflap etc...
BIG being 18 months older than small had this particular skill down pat from a remarkably early age and interestingly possessed the awareness that his Mami finds it not at all funny, but Papa and his mates on the other hand, think it's really rather hilarious....
And so it was with ever increasing frustration that, try as he might, small just couldn't muster a BURP! He would even resort to trying to vocalise the sounds in order to raise a smile from BIG or I, poor little man...
On one hot summers afternoon last year, we three were travelling into the capital on one of our extremely efficient, clean, train services. The train was absolutely packed full of people, tourists, businessmen/women, students, OAPs, mountain bikers, hikers...you get the picture.
The boys revel in such an atmosphere, it's the perfect arena for them to show off and get as much attention as they can, I've no idea where they get such traits! ;)
They are generally very well behaved and limit their attention seeking to looking people dead in the face and giving them a sweet smile and engaging them in conversation, which they'll try first in English and then in German, this always raises a smile in the sternest of people.
On this particular afternoon BIG was happily chatting away to a young lady next to me about something or other and small was standing on a seat opposite me, reading a newspaper over a businessman's shoulder. All was well in the world and we had an planned exciting afternoon shopping at the huge toy store in the city, as a reward for them passing their first swimming grades a week before.
As the train pulled out of the station before our stop, small shouts to me from across the isle "Oi, Papa!" and with a look that can only be described as absolute triumph, lets rip the deepest and most resonant BURP I have ever heard....
As silence descends upon the train and all eyes turn to me and small, BIG excitedly exclaims ...
"Shit Papa!, that was awesome wasn't it?"
Rock 'n' Roll Dad.
No comments:
Post a Comment