The diary of Dad

I no longer have a three year old. Another year has passed by, somewhat successfully and it is time to find out exactly what a four year old does.

There are no simple nicknames to let us know what to expect next either. You can gain a pretty basic understanding of what you will get from a ‘threenager’ and Robbie didn’t disappoint. The boy is an emotional wreck at times!

We also knew what the ‘terrible two’s’ were supposed to bring, though if I am being honest he was really a pretty good toddler. I’m not really sure how but my Son is no longer a toddler, terrible two, threenager or even a preschooler which seems to be a stage that we somehow missed completely. The curse of an August baby.

I could use the old saying that time flies when they are little, but what has actually happened here seems to be completely irrational and makes no sense to me. It does seem that he has grown up way too fast and the years have flown by despite every day seeming to be a 500 hour struggle to keep my own sanity whilst raising a half respectable little human.

Days have felt like weeks. Weeks have been like months yet somehow years have flown past. I don’t get it. Whatever it is that has actually happened, Robbie has just celebrated his fourth birthday in style and I wanted to share some of the experience with you.

It’s traditionally recognised that, aside from the queen, most humans will celebrate their birthday on one special day each year. Robbie is anything but a normal human though, so it goes without saying that he spent pretty much an entire week being spoilt rotten by all of his friends and relatives.

On the day that the calendar officially calls his Birthday, Robbie got up way too early as we had fully expected. He had been so excited for his Birthday for months and there was zero chance he was sleeping any longer. His eyes lit up when he got down the stairs and saw all the balloons and banners were up ready to party! Once he had calmed down a little we went to check if a very special visitor had been too….

Now Robbie is a bizarre little man and when he gets something set in his head there is no changing his mind. Having failed miserably as parents at potty training for number twos, Robbie had told us for months that the reason he wouldn’t use a toilet is that is wasn’t four years old. The night before we had laid his nappies neatly on the table to be collected by the nappy fairy and we were all delighted to see that she had collected them all to give to babies who need them, she was even kind enough to leave a pound for Robbie as a thank you. Everyone’s a winner!

We soon made our way out and spent the morning playing at a Muddy boots forest adventure day in the woods. Robbie got to play with so many different toys and do a few activities, as well as taking the opportunity have a little relax in a hammock! Maybe I need one for the garden?

We come back home to open presents with family. We were lucky enough to have both of Robbie’s Nan’s with us for the day and some much needed pairs of hands, particularly when it come to assembling the multiple race tracks and toys that he ripped open.

We had plenty more adventures for the day. First we took a trip to meet some dinosaurs who were hanging around a local shopping village which Robbie loved, even though the rest of us were a little more concerned for the well-being of the poor person dressed in a dinosaur in 30+ degree heat all day. I hope dinosaurs drink plenty of water.

We finished off the day with a trip out to eat at one of our regular spots. As I’m sure many parents can relate to, the quality of food becomes of very little importance in comparison to the quality of play area when choosing where to eat and this place is great for Robbie. Unfortunately for us, it appears to also hold the world’s largest population of wasps in it’s garden and we were actually forced to just surrender our meals to them and give up. Robbie didn’t care. He had an amazing day and loved every second of it.

Now let’s fast forward a few days as I’m already taking up far too much of your time! Robbie’s birthday party was on the Saturday. We booked a party at Playpalz, a soft play centre in Clacton that we use regularly. It was great to see so many of his friends come and play with him and they all had a great time running riot all through the giant play frame. After a while we were summoned to the special party area at the back of the centre and the kids sat down for lunch, cake and a stirring rendition of happy birthday!

Once tummies were full we moved into a disco room where the kids partied away and showed off some pretty impressive dance moves. They were joined by Skye, a helpful puppy from Paw Patrol who did an amazing job playing pass the parcel and other disco games with the kids.

There was one last surprise for Robbie. He had been asking for months for a piñata (Or opinionator as he says) for his party and had no idea that we had kindly been sent a Lightning McQueen model from Party save smile, who specialise in supplying everything you need for a perfect party!

Sadly for me I had to take the responsibility of holding up the Piñata whilst the kids took there biggest and best shots at it. I must admit I was quite impressed with the power of their swings but they definitely need to work a little on their accuracy. I’m not sure my hands and arms will ever quite recover! If only I had taken time to read the instructions I would have realised that you can simply pull the strings at the bottom to open it. Oops.

There was still a little time for a few more dances and bit more play before we headed back home, joined by a few more friends and family for an afternoon in the garden while Robbie splashed in the pool with his friends.

I can confidently say the whole birthday week was one big success and best of all… He’s not asked for a nappy since!

Thanks for reading and an even bigger thank you to everyone who helped to make Robbie’s birthday so special. I’ll be back to share more tales of how life with a four year old works once I figure out what I’m doing! Dad.