Fall Day Means Another Bonding Experience

After our busy Saturday, we stayed close to home on Sunday. Though it wasn’t all that much less busy of a day.

Kai has wanted to put up Halloween decorations for about a month now. This past weekend, we finally granted him his wish. He and my wife went at it in the morning.

Later, it was time to rake leaves for the first time this season.

When Kai was younger, he got really excited whenever I did the fall yardwork. He would follow me around as I blew the leaves, and then gleefully jump into pile when I was all done. It was one of our early father-and-son bonding experiences, and I still recall how he would laugh when I jumped in the pile with him. Here is a photo from five years ago:

By last year, he did not get quite as excited. After the first few times last fall, he did not always even come outside when I was doing the yardwork.

But on this first occasion for this year, he was excited to join in. He playfully ran around as I blew the leaves into the pile. And then he happily jumped in. This time, he laid down right in the middle, enjoying the sensory experience as he does when he rolls around in the sand whenever we go to the beach.

Soon after, he wanted to go back inside, and wanted me to come, too. I told him that I would after I bagged up all the leaves.

I asked if he would help. And he did. By help, I mean, of course, that he would throw the leaves around and maybe half would end up in the bag.

But it was nice that he wanted to help. Our father-and-son bonding is taking a slightly different form.

All too soon, he will be grown up. I am going to enjoy these experiences while they last.