Sometimes you just got to roll with an 8 year old.

Sometimes you just got to roll with an 8 year old.

When you have two children close in age it’s easy to always lump them together in outings. At least for me.

With our busy lives, efficiency indicates that after school, we go to the library together. We go to the pool together. Heaven forbid, we go to Wal*Mart together.

Lately, I’ve tried to reverse this trend and on Sunday afternoons and when my daughter has play dates, I  spend a part of the afternoon with my son alone. (But not on the pipe together. I’ll stay on the bank with the camera phone, thank you very much.)

Though I suggest the activity, I’ve learned that things run smoothly if I let him set the tempo, the rules – basically run the show. Without being disrespectful for the most part.

Today I suggested tennis.

Great.

For my son, this equated to a crawfish catching expedition.

 Just roll with it.

As I walked into the television room to find two of the hotdogs I’d planned on feeding the family tonight in a homemade crawfish catcher….I just rolled with it.

After walking to the park…

When he crept back in the bushes slipping and sliding in the teeny creek to set his trap – in his new shoes we were to play tennis in….I just rolled with it.

He's in there somewhere....

When we got on the court and batted the ball back and forth, running here and yond…well, you know.

The same went for taking a break at “half time”  to run down to the creek to see two hotdogs still floating in the cage in the creek.

And here I sit typing away…for I’ve learned to bring my laptop whenever there might be a possibility of water and crawfish.

Yes, best to be prepared even when rolling with it.

Can you roll like an 8 year old or are you more squarish?