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| BrendanMcKillip.com brendan mckillip's daily journal |
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daily journal
Missed Opportunity I took a late train today (stayed home to take Ian to his first day of pre-school - more on that later) and ended up with a bunch people headed downtown for the 1:20 Chicago Cubs game. Around Lisle a dad and his son (a kid about 5 or 6 years old) got on the train and sat a few seats in front of me. We were sitting up on the second floor where there are only single seats, so they flipped one of them backwards so they could face each other. This gave me a full view of the dad (and this will be important later). They were obviously going to the Cubs game. Both were decked out in jerseys and hats. I thought, "What fun. A father and son going to a ball game. Could it get any more American?" I thought about how much fun it would be for Ian and I to go to a Cubs' game together like that. He's expressed interest in going to Wrigley Field, I just haven't arranged for it yet. (He's been to see the Kane County Cougars - the minor league team that plays in Geneva - so don't think I'm totally remiss in my American fatherly duties.) So I look back up at the father and son expect to overhear them talking about the game, or going to the big city, or the train ride, and what do I see - the dad's got his head buried in one of those free real estate magazines you see at drug stores and grocery stores. It's not even a real magazine. Just some pulp paper crap. Yet he's got his nose planted deep inside while his son stares out the window. It took all my restraint not to yell at the guy, "Come on! It's you and your son going to a baseball game. Riding a train to the big city. No Mom around. No other siblings. Just you and him. Talk with him. Make this a real fun adventure for the kid. Don't hide behind that stupid magazine." Later, the dad did put the mag down and talk with his son for a bit. He make some jokes and the two of them seemed to be enjoying themselves, but it still didn't wash the bad taste of the real estate magazine out of my mind. Why was it even there? When I think about it, I think what bothered me the most was the type of mag he was looking at. Had it been Sports Illustrated or Vines, the Cubs fan club magazine, or the newspaper I think I would have let it slide a bit. But the free real estate magazine you picked up from 7-11? You'd rather look at that then talk or visit with your son while taking him to a ballgame? Maybe my Dad didn't buy us as many dogs when we were a kid as he wanted to, but when he was taking us out on special trips or little adventures he always gave us his undivided attention. He understood that the activity or event was just as special to us as spending time with our Dad. posted by Brendan | 1:51 PM | permanent link |
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