Earlier this week the wife and I took our little dude to orientation at the school he’ll be attending this fall. Actually, it wasn’t as much an orientation as it was a play date for kids?who didn’t know each other. What the schoool did was place about five new kids, Dev included, into a class with existing students simply to hang out. The parents sat in tiny chairs around the perimeter of the classroom watching and hoping our kids wouldn’t embarrass us. Luckily they didn’t. They played like they knew each other. It was lik an episode of Cheers, minus all the booze.?Then again, they were so polite and friendly perhaps they were playing like they didn’t know each other. Maybe it was more?like The Real World and once they’re all used to one another in September they’ll start?talking about each others mommas wearing combat boots.

The visit was reassuring to say the least. It reminded us why we initially liked the school so much in the first place. We sat in the kid-sized chairs and felt lucky; like we may have actually gotten it right. That’s not a feeling parents get often. Personally I’m more used to second-guessing every move we make and crossing fingers. My fingers are crossed so much that some people think I have talons where my hands should be.

As?enjoyable as the morning orientation was, the fun really began after: I took the Dev to work with me. A year ago I would have never thought about doing such a thing.?My family?is?still reminding me what the kid was like last summer, and the year before that, and I cringe. These days, however, I just want to show him off and hang out with him. It was an ego boost to see how Dev was all too happy to part ways with mommy, hop on the #6 and tag along with me to my office. It was?too fun?having him around all day and watching him interact with my colleagues. His charm was on full display, as was my pride. A?colleague of mine said “I see why you’re so in love with him, he’s so great!” That is a powerful statement for?fledgling father to hear. The whole growing thing still amazes me.

Five years old is such a great age. I just want to do new things with the boy and show him as much of the world as possible. The problem is that time is no friend of mine – the weekends are to short and the work days are too long. Still, it’s no excuse for not seizing every opportunity to do something and making opportunities whenever I can.