Victims

To my son Tommy,

Last night, before I went to sleep, I thought I'd try sleeping in.  Your cousin Emma is cantoring at the 10:15 mass and I always try to attend a mass with special family significance if one is happening that week.  When I consider sleeping late, we aren't talking about slumbering to the wee hours of the afternoon like I used in my old days.  9 am is about the limit.  However, no one in the house knew of my plans as was evident this morning.

I think it was 6:45 am when you yelled out you were done sleeping.  Usually we just call out for you to get out of bed and you scurry out to snuggle with your mother or me.  This morning, mommy was sleeping downstairs on the couch because her scar tissue and belly were hurting her.  I was laying there with my cpap machine staring at the ceiling and hoping you would just get out of bed and pretty much take care of yourself.  You however were still in bed yelling that you were awake and asking for help to get out of bed.  Evidently your little dino stool that you use to climb in and out of bed was somewhere else.  It is not like you can't get in and out without it, as you are a very determined three year old, but you seem to want to play the victim this morning who could do nothing for himself.  Your mother, yelled up from downstairs that she too is a victim and was feeling too bad to come up the stairs to get you and then back down the stairs.  I was also playing victim as I lay in bed lamenting the fact that I will never in my life get to sleep in past 7:30.  Finally, after much grumbling and much yelling up an down the stairs between you and your mother, I got my butt out of bed and got you out of your bed.  I went back to bed until 9:30 and just pretty much left you to your own devices.  You headed downstairs to play and snuggle with your mom.  And all was well with the world again.

In life there are going to be obstacles.  We shouldn't sit there and play the victim.  We learn that with a very little bit of action the world returns to normal.  Don't let a missing stepping stool stop you from doing what you need to do.

Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo