Last night we had a “No TV, no DVD, no Playstation, no PSP, no PC games” night. Surprisingly we managed to get through the night without one of us screaming “I can’t take this anymore” and running around ripping clothes off.
Don’t get me wrong and please don’t for one second picture us sitting in a darkened room, oil lamps burning, wife on the settee knitting matching mittens for the long, bleak winter days ahead. The boys lying on the floor in front of the fire playing Cluedo on a battered, old board with half the pieces missing. Me on the plaid Layzee Boy reading yesterdays paper I found free at the 7-11 where I bought provisions for tonight’s dinner. That would be entirely wrong! Rather a decision was taken, jointly I can add where my wife and I agreed it would be a good thing to turn off the 47″ LCD TV, ban the use of either the HD or the SD PVR’s, unplug the 71cm TV in our teenage son’s room and not use the TV in our room. Also the PlayStation would be out of bounds, the PSP put in a drawer and the the three laptops in the house be closed for wireless Internet use and PC games. The two DVD players were strictly out of bounds and even the one surviving “last resort” VCR player would not be available. My iPhone was put out of reach to prevent desperate hands watching movies, playing games or even listening to one of the 3,200 songs currently loaded. The iPod, in its docking station would stay silent and we as a family would interact!
Honestly we were a bit lost for a second there, polite small talk lasts all of five minutes before we started looking over each other’s shoulders, thinking desperately of something to say. Boys being boys I quickly came up with a plan. A friendly bunch of builders replacing our veranda roof had knocked together and garden soccer goal. The goal in our huge back garden was slightly weathered but perfectly able to stand up to a game of soccer. It soon emerged that boys against dad was the way to go and them being good boys took on the mantle of Berbatov and Rooney and Dad became the dreaded enemy, Chelsea. Man U fans will be pleased to note that they won 10-3 with a four year old Berbatov scoring a hat-trick, the most goals he has scored all season I think. The game, originally scheduled for 10 minutes went on and on with the boys asking for a third half! The fans had left the stadium and only mom was left to watch the boys using a cross of American football, basketball and rugby to beat their dad at a “friendly” game of garden football.
We live in a valley flanked by two mountains and are lucky enough to be able to play football with the sun setting over the mountain behind us and then the moon rising over the mountain in front of us. The moon rising put an end to our game and as our “stadium” is not quite ready for 2010 SWC the lack of lighting chased us indoors. Tired, sweaty and hungry we all sat around the dinner table eating and chatting. For once the talk was not about how the latest WWE match ended or how General Grevous was so expensive to buy on Star Wars for PS2. Neither did we talk about how big brother wrestled little brother into a choke hold and was now banned from ever stepping foot into little brother’s room again nor did big brother complain about little brother farting in his face like he saw on Suite Life. Rather the chat initially revolved around the amazing header that hit the crossbar, the goalkeeping abilities of little brother who proved himself fearless in throwing himself on the ball any time it got near their goal. At no time did mom have to drag a conversation out of either boy. It actually got so animated we had to use the Luminous Salad server tongs as a “Talk stick” with the person in possession of said “talk stick” being the only one allowed to talk. It was frikkin awesome folks, really it was.
After a longer than normal dinner where the TV in the backround reminded the boys to eat fast because the next episode of Clone Wars was about to start was not a factor, the boys went off to bath. Amazingly Big brother ran a bath for little brother before himself going to shower. Unheard of before I might add. Freshly bathed the boys returned to sit around the table and chat. Little brother, wise beyong his four years asked big brother to write down a note to a friend that had invited him to a birthday party. Little brother dictated thus:
Dear “friend”
I love you very much. I want to say thank you for inviting my to your party and promise, you will be invited to my five year old party. We are going to have such a good time at your party and I just can’t wait.
A lot more went into that letter but that was the gist of it.
Normal bedtime arrived and amazingly, for once, little brother gladly got into bed without kicking and screaming, promising to fall asleep as soon as he could because sleep time was time fro growing and he really wants to be big like his brother! Oh I am so sly, having worked that into the dinner conversation earlier. Never underestimate the slyness of dad my boys! Two bedtime stories later and lights went off, little brother happily cuddled up with Ted his Teddy bear and Jimmy the penguin, bought on our recent trip to Cape Town.
Saying goodnight to big brother lying reading in bed, a whole hour before his negotiated, later bedtime I was at last able to spend some quality, quiet and uninterrupted, adult time. We were able to sit, drink coffee and talk about things moms and dads talk about when their nosey kids are not around.
I’m not saying the Bird family will be returning to life in the 50’s with an hour a night spent in front of the wireless before an ungodly early bedtime. What I am saying that every now and then we will ban the 21’st century from taking over our lives and re-connect. There will be many more nights like this in the days ahead……
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