The diary of Dad

There’s no screaming, no laughter and no constant shouting of the word ‘Dad.’ The house is not shaking and there is no trail of destruction and half eaten snacks spread out like a treasure hunt. As Bjork famously said, it’s oh so quiet.

Read more: It’s Oh So Quiet

The last few weeks have felt like a hurricane hit us. Our calendar has been full with different activities for both Robbie and his parents on almost every day throughout December. Up until then, I was not even aware we had a calendar.

We’ve been blessed to have family staying with us and also to get to and about visiting other friends and relatives over the festive period. Robbie has found himself having days out doing everything from theatre trips to theme parks. He’s been incredibly lucky to have met Santa several times in various locations, that man has been everywhere and fully deserves a year off now.

Mr Claus must have been pleased with Robbie’s good manners when they met as he received everything he asked for for Xmas and more. Far too much more. He received way too many sweets and chocolate for his health so Dad had to step and and take a few bullets when he wasn’t looking too. Just pop my Father of the year award on the mantelpiece.

Our busy lives have not stopped just because the festive period is over. Robbie received an annual pass to all of the rides on Clacton Pier from his Nan and Grandad and we have had the pleasure of spending the past three days stood in the cold watching Robbie go round and round seemingly forever on the same few rides. When that boy finds something he likes, he simply can’t leave it.

We took a big risk as parents last night was buying him one last gift and we are yet to find out whether it was pure genius or utter stupidity. Aside from making us watch him on the rides for several hours a day, our Son’s other obsession is his PlayStation so we have taken a risk and bought him a Nintendo Wii.

For those not aware of the Nintendo Wii, it is a little like a normal gaming console except that many of the games use motion sensors and require you to be up and active whilst playing. It has games such as running, swimming and fencing which will hopefully stop him from becoming a complete couch potato. Or maybe we’ve just fed his gaming addiction, I guess time will tell.

Now back to the reason the house is so peaceful and I can actually sit and write this in peace, school’s back! Today feels like a bit of a luxury but it will not take long to get back into our routine and that feeling that I wish he was around for a little longer.

Myself and Mum often start work shifts at 5PM meaning very little time together after school aside from rushing through a bit of homework and trying to get him out of his uniform whilst he asks ‘Can I play my games’ around six thousand times.

He seems excited to get back though. It’s a small world and and we regularly bump into some of his classmates at the Pier or soft play and his little face lights up when he sees a friend to play with. As much as he has enjoyed his time at home over Christmas he must be so excited to see everyone his own age again and hopefully start learning again too!

For us it is an opportunity to get all of those things done around the house that we promised we would do when Robbie returned to school. The junk in the garden that has been there for months, the kitchen that needs painting and all those other little things we put off for so long. Let’s be honest now, they are still not getting done for a while!

Now is our time to enjoy, relax and wait for tornado Robbie to come back at 3PM and create even more havoc than ever before given the added excitement of time with friends. Reality can wait a few more days whilst we put our feet up…. And then it will be half term!

Thanks for reading and I hope you had a great Christmas. Dad.