I know I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again anyway. I love to see my kids playing together. One of our big worries when Adam was born (besides how we were going to pay the bills), was that seven years would prove to be too big a difference for Beth and Adam to be really close.

Thus far, it seems those worries were unfounded.

These last couple weeks have been really hard on Adam. You see, he hates the word homework. Some of you might feel a compulsion to point out that lots of kids hate that word. I’d agree; however, I’d just like to point out that in my experience, I didn’t learn to hate the word until I actually had some. Adam’s dislike comes from homework’s byproduct: a beloved playmate that can’t come out and play. His worst tantrum this week came at the foot of Beth’s closed door, as she tried to finish off a math worksheet.

This is where my weak spot as a parent is exposed. On the days when I’m picking up both the kids (Beth from Tae Kwon Do and Adam from pre-k), I can’t help but give them a quick break to play together out back… even when I know Adam won’t be satisfied with twenty minutes. In his case, it’s definitely worse to have played and lost, than to never have played at all.

Ah, but to see them together… it makes me wonder if I’ve done something right after all.

(By the way Beth, if you’re reading this… I didn’t really hate homework. Before your mother came into my life, homework was the love of my life. You buy that, right?)