A few weeks ago, one of Luca’s buddies was laying on my couch, eating my chips, watching my TV, and breathing my air. In my most dad voice, I asked, “Don’t you have anywhere to…be?”
He barely looked up from his phone (drinking my Wifi) and said, “I’m having an 80’s Summer.” Do tell. In reaction to being cooped up for a year and a half, his folks just shove him out the door in the morning and let him make his own plans.
Wait, what? Aren’t we responsible for scheduling our kids 24/7? I thought our social agreement was to shove as many camps, clubs, playdates, sleep overs and sleep unders as humanly possible into their lives so they won’t have a single second to suffer that greatest enemy ever: boredom. WHAT IF MY CHILD IS BORED?
I suddenly loved this chip eating couch farter. We decided to lay off the scheduling and just let Luca hang with his pals. His 80’s summer has slid into an 80’s fall. Luca and his 4 neighborhood pals jump on their bikes and terrorize the local convenience store owners, play endless games of baseball and football, and map out their sleepovers in that classic kid way to maximize time away from your own bed.
This is 2021, so Luca’s 80’s life has more electronic tracking than the NSA. I don’t abuse his privacy too much, but I do occasionally check to make sure Luca and his pals don’t hang out at Ye Olde Drug Dealer’s Emporium or follow the commuter train tracks to see a dead body in Winnetka.
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t break my heart a bit. More than once, I’ve offered to play catch or let him spend my money and he sheepishly admits he already has plans to track mud into a friend’s house.
Luca is such an empathetic kid, I try not to make him feel guilty about spending so much time away. But he senses my pathetic-ness. It may be because I stare out our front window so much. I love when he doles out a little of his time like alms. “Father, would you like three farthings of my attention?” Heavens yes.
If I’m really good, Luca will let me watch him play video games.
Later today, Luca set aside 3 hours to watch the Bears game with me. Now, I’m not a Bears fan. I haven’t given a crap about them in 20 years. But you better believe I am going to dig out my old Rex Grossman jersey and savor some real Luca time.
I may even try to hold his hand.
