HAP


We like to talk about the "best things" at dinner.  Last night Emma told us a great story.  She and Hap and Princess were out ice-skating on the ditch/pond in the borough pit in front of our house.  A rock jiggled out of place, leaving a puddle of water.  Princess hurried over to the the little puddle and lapped up the water.  Not wanting to miss out, Hap ran over to a smaller rock, pried it up out of the frozen earth, excitedly watched the water pool under it, and then he leaned down and lapped it up.  Emma told it matter-of-factly and without any questioning.  To her this wasn't strange, watching her brother lap up the ice-puddles like a puppy.
Does this reflect absentee parenting?  Did we forget the safe-drinking water lesson?  Have we come this far?  Our oldest son never left the house without his own personal bottle of hand sanitizer.  And now this . . .  Perhaps we are tired.  Perhaps we are lazy.  Perhaps we should sent Hap out the door with his little reminders:
"Did you remember to put your pants on?"
"Are you wearing clothes?"
"Please don't drink in the gutters."
It really is the little things that are most important.