Be More Stubborner

"We always watch your shows", cried out an angry young child.

"Is that true?" asked her father.

"Yes!" replied the poor, miserable waif.

"Oh, my poor little Oliver Twist. At least half the shows we watch are yours, and we watch them together, don't we?"

"Why just today my moppet, we watched Curious Gary, oops, George."

"We watched The Blueberry Stained Bears. Oh, I'm sorry, the Berenstain Bears, like that makes more sense. What's a 'berenstain'?"

"I don't know Daddy. I'm only five." (still said angrily)

"Well, we shouldn't be watching any bear shows where we don't know what they are. No more funny bear shows in Dad's house!"

"Ouwr house. It's ouwr house!"

"Do you pay any of the bills? Why when I was your age I had a job, wife and three kids. That's why we need to watch Oliver. You need to learn how to 'pick a pocket or two'; start earning your keep around here."

"No you didn't. I'm going to call Gwandpa and Buscha (our Polish word for grandma) and ask them."

"Go ahead! Why they'll tell you that when I was five years old.......I was six!"

"Nooooooo. You'wre lying."

'What! What! Me! Lying! Nevah! Why I haven't told a lie since I was but a wee lad of five."

"In fact, let's just see exact-a-lee who the liar be....

"Here ye! Here ye! The court will now come to order. Presenting the honorable Judge Father O' Fatherhan! The evidence shows that in addition to the aforementioned shows, your wonderful, terrific, stupendous, floopendous, rooendous father watched America's Funniest Home Videos as well.

But if you say all you watch are his shows such as Oliver, David Copperfield, etc., then it is in the estimation of this court that this statement of yours shall become true.

In an effort to prevent such a pure wonderful child from being a liar, from this moment forward, no more of Sofia's shows shall be seen in This House of Stuart.

"No, Daddy. It's OK. We do watch my shows. But I still don't want to watch Olivwer again."

"That's Judge Father O' Fatherhan to you child!"

"No you'wre not. You'wre my Daddy."

"That's right. And as your daddy, I'll make sure you watch good shows, because I care about what goes into that wonderful head of yours. You may have gotten your stubbornness from me, but I owe it to you to be more stubborner, even if it means you don't like me for it."

"Well, I don't like that you'wre making me watch Olivwer."

"That's OK. You don't have to always like me."

"But I still love you, Daddy."

"You do? Why?"

"Because you'wre my Daddy. That's why."


We did sit down to watch Oliver together, and no, she didn't watch it right away. Instead, in her stubbornness, she read Dr. Seuss to her "daughter" (her web-kinz unicorn).

But she did "sing" the words to the melody of the songs in the movie as she read (We watched the 1968 musical version).

(A few days ago she and her brother and sister and I watched the 1948 version. When they asked why I liked shows in black & white I tried to convince them IT WAS in color and that they weren't eating enough carrots. They didn't buy it, or eat more carrots the next day. It also might have been because I didn't have any carrots :-(

So I allowed her to be stubborn, just not disrespectful, and in time she put hers "kids" to bed, telling them "mommy" wanted to watch the movie with "gwandpa".

During all of this, I didn't take or make any phone calls, or answer any text messages or emails. My entire focus was on her.

Sometimes I wonder what I'm missing "out there". By the time I put my children to bed, and if I haven't fallen asleep with them, it's usually too late to get back to anyone. And when I don't have them I'm up late getting the research and writing done I should have when I was with them.

But tonight as I watched Sofia fall asleep while I rubbed her belly, I realized whatever I'm missing "out there" can't compare to what I'm NOT missing "in here", what my children are not missing inside of them.

And inside the walls of my small two-story home, there are enough lessons, laughs and loving moments to last a lifetime.

I'm sure it will last even longer than that each time my children tell their children stories about how grandpa taught them and loved them when they were young.




And right now, that's most important to me.


One day these days of ours will end,
and with that thought this thought is penned.


When we are young and covered in love,
we completely believe we are gifts from above.


So on this day we have today,
we have to laugh and have to play.


We know this today is a precious gift,
it won't come again so we unwrap it swift.


I cover you in the love a good father should,
covering you in the preciousness of your childhood.

In the morning I wrap you in a gentle bear hug,
and at night we lay together in a night-time snug.


And on the day these days of ours ends,

there'll be no troubles, no worries, our love can't transcend.


- Adam Stuart
(written for Sofia, whose father has had 15 wonderful straight days of her presence in his home, and treasuring each one very much)