Universal Daddy

It’s never easy spending time away from the family. 

Even if it’s just a weekend, I find myself missing saying goodnight to my girls. I don’t get to read books in funny voices or get hugs and kisses before bedtime. It’s funny how used to those things you get.

I guess that after doing the same routine every night, it gets engrained in your head. So much so, that I have many of Finley’s favorite books memorized, and probably didn’t even know it. It makes sense, though. When she finds a book she likes, she sticks with it for a LONG time. And since the books are rarely more than ten pages long, they’re pretty easy to memorize. But I didn’t realize I had these stories in my brain until this weekend, when I went away with the old gang for a concert/campout in central Washington.

It was an all-day concert featuring some old bands; The Doobie Brothers, The Allman Brothers, and The Dead. And as is par for the course at these all-day shows, there were plenty of families on the lawn, enjoying the music. We happened to pick a patch of grass next to a family of three, including a 19-month old blonde girl with pigtails. Go figure.

And as the afternoon rolled on, I found myself playing peek-a-boo and talking to her parents about toddlerhood. Kaylee, it turns out, is also a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and had her Pooh and Piglet dolls with her. Bonus points.

Of course, this all just made me miss my munchkin more and more. I found myself looking at the time on the phone to see if it was dinner time back home or how much longer she had to play until bedtime. Like I said, you get used to that routine.

Eventually, as the last band played on, the sun went down, and Kaylee started running out of steam, her mom worked on putting her down for bed. They had a little kid tent and some blankets, but like any kid – especially mine – she just didn’t want to give up the fight and go to sleep.

So, my dad instinct kicked in and I started asking her about what nighttime books she had at home. When I found out she had “Goodnight Moon,” I started reciting it word-for-word. Kaylee was pretty amazed – not that I knew the whole book from memory – but in her 19-month old brain, she probably thinks she’s the sole owner of that book.

Needless to say, she was a bit mesmerized by all of this and calmed down to the point that her mom was able to put her in that little tent. Just a few minutes later, she was sound asleep.

Now, I’m not saying I’m some sort of baby whisperer because of this little episode. Any parent knows that their kids react differently to different techniques. It’s just that I was able to strike a chord in the brain of this little one.

It’s not a miracle, just a bit of experience with my own little blonde pigtailed girl. But it’s good to know that there is some sort of universal language out there amongst the toddlers. And if you can find that Rosetta stone and speak that language, they’ll listen.

Plus, there’s something about how kids listen better when it’s not their parents talking. Just because I can recite “Good Night Moon,” doesn’t mean Finley will calm down every night. It takes a few more tricks up the sleeve when it’s your own kid.

All I know is that even though I got to help one little blonde fall asleep, the one closest to my heart was still very far away. Which meant that tonight’s reading of “Goodnight Moon” to Finley meant a little bit more this time around.

Goodnight stars. Goodnight air. Goodnight noises everywhere.