Finding Fun In Everyday Tasks

It truly amazes me how much joy can be found in the most banal of circumstances by a child. Baby C can find excitement in such mundane things as running across a linoleum floor, spinning the office chair, walking on the treadmill, seeing the moon suspended in the sky (look, Daddy, it’s the moon!), or parading up and down the stairs.

Sunday night I tossed a basket full of clean clothes onto my bed so I could put them away. I know you’re jealous of my glamorous life, but that’s not why I’m telling you this. I went to the twins room to tell them that they needed to start getting ready for bed. As was talking to them I heard Baby C shout, “Look at me, Daddy!”

I sauntered back into my bedroom to find my youngest son on my bed sitting atop of my overturned laundry basket. This, evidently, was the most hilarious thing ever. He couldn’t stop laughing. I left him there to his fun and started fishing empty hangers out of my closet. I stacked them neatly on the bed beside my haphazard pile of clean clothes. I took one hanger and one shirt, paired them, and hung them in the closet. By the time I turned back around, Baby C had toppled the stack of hangers. He also had both feet waving around with a hanger dangling from each foot. “Look, Daddy!”

He “helped” me by handing me empty hangers until I had hung all of my shirts. Then he climbed back on top of the laundry basket. As he was sitting there, he slowly started leaning to his right until he lost his balance and went face first into my mattress.

“Oh, no!” I exclaimed with feigned shock, “did you fall down go boom?”

“Yes!” he answered excitedly. And a new game had been born.

He began a ten minute (at least) marathon of climbing on to the basket and jumping off…and landing on his butt. Each successful butt-landing elicited hysterical laughter. This was excruciatingly cute, so of course I dutifully grabbed my phone and began recording. His second jump after I began recording he landed butt-first on the edge of the basket instead of clearing it. This launched him face-first into my pillows and was evidently more hilarious than all of his other jumps because this jump drew more laughter than the rest.

I eventually moved on to the rest of my awaiting laundry. Baby C quickly realized I wasn’t  always watching and made me stop what I was doing before every jump. Look at me, Daddy! Daddy, I fall down go BOOM! 

I eventually finished putting all of my laundry away, but I had an incredible time while doing so. Watching Baby C have a blast, hearing him laugh, turned an ordinary night into a memorable night. His innocent cackle makes me smile without fail. His unabashed exuberance fuels me. His radiant smile energizes me. His ability to find something fun in every situation is inspiring and is something I can definitely learn from. It is something I should learn from.