By Troy Foster
That’s what the kids are saying anyway. I didn’t. I did get pulled over for speeding on our way back from a short trip to Washington, D.C. And, of course, we were stopped just passed the “welcome” sign as we entered Ohio. Really Ohio? I guess my dislike for the State will continue for a bit longer.
That said, the kids – Henry especially – were so excited that I got “arrested.” When I argued with him, he just giggled and kept saying it. But, this little stinker wouldn’t even talk to me directly about it – as if I was a common criminal not worth speaking to. Rather, he’d make sure I was looking at him in the review-view mirror, smile, turn to Kristen and say “Mommy, will you please tell me when Daddy gets arrested again.” Then, they would erupt in laughter. My pretending to act mad just raised the intensity of the chortling. After we got home, and right before he went to sleep, Henry asked me quietly, “Daddy, wasn’t it so funny when you got arrested?” It was.
So though I’m not asking for it to happen again, the $140 fine and getting arrested – were well worth the fun we’ve had afterward. It might have been a highlight of our trip. (The trip, by the way, was part of our mission to do fun things with the kids on the spur of the moment. On Saturday, I had the kids get dressed to swim – as we’d planned on heading up to the beaches in Michigan. At some point, because my wife is running for Congress and Luke has wanted to go there, I decided we’d go to DC. Long drive for a very short stay. But the kids had a blast, were in awe, and had a great time at the museums. They’ve already started mapping out our next trip to DC – when we plan to stay more than a day.)
My “arrest” just reinforced to me, on a very minute level, how precious every minute truly is. We can waste it on being mad, seeing the worst in it, or focusing on the bad. Or, we can laugh and have fun. Our kids have taught us to make the last choice.
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