What's My Story?

I forgot Sarah's name today. Before we left for the kids' six-month checkup at Dakota Kids Dentistry Sarah and Jeffrey were divvying up the money they had gotten from their aunt Mary to buy one dollar Christmas presents each at the holiday showcase for Longfellow today for Sarah and tomorrow for Jeffrey. I was filling out Jeffrey's list with Daddy, Mommy, Grandpa, Grandma, one uncle, three aunts, five cousins, family friend Donovan (I think we've adopted him) … but I could only come up with fourteen names for his list, and Martha came up with fifteen for Sarah's. Who was I missing? I asked Martha and she was as stuck as me and then Jeffrey looked over the list. His response: “WHERE'S SARAH?” Truly a “smh” moment, that was …

Morris, Henry M. Science, Scripture and Salvation … The Genesis Record. Denver: Baptist Publications, 1965. S-301

Now to the dentist; the kids were really excited to go, even though they knew it would be their first day tardy to school since Longfellow starts at eight forty-five in the morning and their appointments were at eight. Martha, Sarah, and Jeffrey took our van (and I am SO grateful she could come with us, even if she had to leave to get to work herself) while I drove the Elantra behind them, and by the time I got to the office Sarah was already going in back, and we hung out with Jeffrey for a few minutes until his name was called, then he dashed back leaving us in the lobby where we played the stand alone arcade games in the lobby (did I say DKD is a children's dentist, with a full-sized classic Donkey Kong cabinet, a Ms. Pac-Man table, and one stand alone with a few dozen games – I got in a round of Ghosts And Goblins, Berzerk, and Millipede before I went back to see them.

Richards, Norman. Robert Frost. Chicago: Childrens Press, 1968. LOC 67-26875

That I got in three games tells you how my video game reflexes … suck. Anyway, I went back when called and faced the kids as calm as I have seen them the last few days with their big sunglasses on, and first heard from dental assistants Hanna and Mamie and then the good doctor Behm himself that they have had no cavities since their last visit six months before, and they will both be due to be fitted for spacers on the bottom of their mouths to make room for teeth coming in. Due to running into certain objects with their faces, there's only space for one tooth to come in where two are supposed to be … so come tomorrow afternoon Sarah will be fitted for a spacer for her teeth and actually have it put on New Year's Eve. Jeffrey's comes later … and after the kids got their new toothbrushes, stickers, and a toy of their choice – like they needed another one, right? – I got them to school.

Wasserstein, Wendy. Uncommon Women and Others. New York: Dramatists Play Services Inc., 1978 ISBN 0822211920

And last night after Jeffrey's Cub Scout meeting (right now it seems the troop is getting in all their community visit activities that are required to earn their Tiger Cub badges) I picked him and Sarah up at Martha's parents' house, we got home, we ate, and they went to bed. It hurts me that I got mad at Sarah for keeping so much of her dirty laundry up in her room; I thought as a parent I'd be better than getting worked up over, say, Jeffrey leaving his room lights on this morning just before we left among other things would be something I would get over doing. Who am I really trying to win “Father of the Year” award from, anyway? If I can't even remember the kids' names when I am learning this parenting thing by doing and doning and doeing, I need to turn back to God and start again.

Every day, David