Being a kid (II)

By A Basque in Boise April 24, 2013 Chico, Pikus, Random No Comments

My son got annoyed with me the other day because I wouldn’t buy him a metal detector. “But amatxu! How cool would it be to know what amazing things lie below the ground?” Not $200 cool, dude. I could upgrade to an iPhone 5 for that money.

I kept driving down Overland Road. He looked away from me and stared through the window, his little face one big frown. “I can’t wait to grow up and get a job so I can do whatever I want'”, he bursted after a while.

I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in my life. I’m almost forty, I have two jobs, and I still can’t do half of the things I’d like to do. I explained to him how it works, that being an adult and having a job doesn’t mean you can buy or do whatever you want. By the time you stop minding your parents, you move out and get married, so you have to mind your partner. Then, whether you stay together or not, you have to mind your kids. And eventually, when they finally move out to lead a life of their own, you will probably have to take care of your parents.

“Well”, he said looking back at me, his face glowing with realization, “I can always ask Santa in this year’s Christmas list!”