Sunday, August 4, 2019

Here's an example of good parenting

When the weather hots up like this, me and the Farm Manager like to head to the shore of Colpoy's Bay. A mere fifteen minute drive from Falling Downs and we're sitting on a bench behind the Wiarton Water Treatment Plant, coolers in hand, enjoying the bay breezes and watching the boats go by.

We're sitting there the other day, and a guy and his toddler son paddle by in a kayak. The kid can't be more than three years old. He's on his dad's lap, he's paddling, but Dad's hands are on the paddle too. There's not a screen in sight. Right away you know there's something good going on.

There's not much that's sadder than watching a parent drag a kid down the street with one hand while they've got the phone in the other, but you see it every day.

As they're passing by our bench, I couldn't help but blurt out, just loud enough that they could hear it; "there's a shark following you!"

Both their heads snapped around. Then I saw Dad whisper something into his kid's ear, and a second later the kid shouts up, in his three-year-old sing-songy voice, "It's just a pretend shark."

Not only was Dad spending quality time with his little boy, he just calmed the kid's fears.

That's some quality parenting.


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