by Byron on August 8, 2016
Here’s what’s going on…
Guys-
Last week, Gibson went pee-pee on the potty for the first time. It was before bath, he sat down and went without even saying anything. Dad, Mom and Decker did the pee-pee on the potty dance while Gibby beemed from down on his little potty. We took baths. Then, when Gibby was running around naked after bathtime he stopped and peed on Mom and Dad’s bedroom floor! We’ll get there. J
Last week, Uncle Andrew asked Aunt Heather to marry him and she said yes!!
Gibson has started speaking in complete sentences. He calls everyone “That Guy.” This includes women and animals, and it doesn’t matter wheather Gibby knows their name or not. It’s always, “That Guy.”
About once a week, you guys split a $25 roll of silver dollars. You each put roughly half into your respective piggy banks. We call them “lootcakes.” You guys ask if I have lootcakes or money for you and if I do you put them in. When I tell you I have to go to work you ask things like, “Are you going to make money for me?” and “Will you bring us home lootcakes?”
A few days ago, you guys saw an accident with Mom. A guy had hit a telephone pole and his airbag had gone off. Mom stopped to ask him if he was okay. He didn’t repond, but was okay, just upset and frustrated. Decker asked Mom why the guy was upset if he was okay. Mom said it was because his car was damaged and he might not have money to pay for it or get it fixed. Decker said, “We have money. We could give him some.” That’s a gem. You guys are so awesome!
I’ll try to give you guys more regular updates about what you’re up to. I love you guys!
Dad
Dear Gibson,
Last weekend, we sent your pacifiers to a new baby. At least, that’s what we told you when we put all of the pacis in a giant ziplock bag and put them in the mailbox. Later, I went and put them in the trash. We don’t like lying to you and we seldom do it, even about little things. But we needed a story. You needed a story. “I’m too big for pacis now” is probably just a little too heartbreaking. For you and for me. Now you tell everyone and tell us daily, “I gave my pacis to new baby.”
While you have the monumental struggles of moving from baby to big boy, our country and this world are having monumental struggles of their own. On the world scale, we have civil war, death, destruction, terrorism, and genocide. You know, little stuff.
In our country, we have all just awoken to what many have know forever…some cops are racist, and that means people die when they shouldn’t. Ferguson, Baltimore, New York, Baton Rouge, North Charleston, Roseville. All deaths of blacks at hands of white cops. And it used to be that there were no video cameras. Now everyone has one in their pocket.
Aunt Heather talks about inherent bias. She is right. People have it and many aren’t even aware of it. For some, the inherent bias many carry around has lethal consequences. Maybe it’s possible you don’t have inherent biases when you are my age. One can hope. I have them. I actively work to eliminate them and to eliminate their impact on my thinking and my decision making.
But it’s getting better. It’s always been this way, it’s just now folks are talking about it. I hope the world continues to get better for you.
Love,
Dad
