NOVEMBER 5, 2013

First.. I used this photo for the title of this article. Amazing talent!!!

When I posted my original article last week, I had NO idea that so many people would read it… or that I would receive so many encouraging comments and messages on Facebook. I posted my article, mostly just because I wanted to write how I was feeling as a dad, and being where I was, when I was. The response to both my wife and to myself, is a huge encouragement.

A few of  you have asked me how things are going now.

Answer: Good!

That’s him this past  Saturday. He was sitting and watching Swiss Family Robinson with me on Netflix; the perfect “Geek Dad” afternoon.

What Happened Up Till Then?

After getting home Thursday, it was a struggle to keep my thoughts in order. Ambulance ride, hospital bills, watching for concussion signs, does he ride the bus the next day? My wife and I tried to very hard to make sure our reactions and choices were the right ones.

I asked Finn if he was ok with riding the bus the next morning. I expected some hesitation, or even some questions. “Yep.” That was the only reply. A few seconds went by, and he said, “I hope it doesn’t flip over again!” He demonstrated the ‘flip over’ with one hand in the air, sliding to the left. I told him that I didn’t think that would happen again.

I wondered if I should just drive him myself. Maybe give him the weekend to recoup. It was an interesting struggle that went on in my head. Honestly, I thought that if I let Finn ride the bus, people would think I was crazy. But I’ve never been one to do things because someone else thought it was good or bad. I decided that it would be up to Finn. This was about him, not me or anyone else. If he wanted to face the bus right away? Then that is what we would allow him to do. He had to deal with this on his own terms.

I let my boss know I would be a little late the next morning and planned on standing with Finn and my wife; waiting for the bus. I prayed that night… a lot.

The next morning, my wife and I walked hand in hand down our driveway to the end, Finnegan leading the charge. I could only see one image in my head.

It kept playing, and playing… I watched my son fearlessly pace back and forth on the sidewalk. Here it was again. Superdad face. This was a time that I knew I couldn’t show weakness. Not here. This was where I needed to provide that stable “dad” face so that Finn could deal… I looked at my wife near me. She needed it too, because I knew she was thinking the same things that I was.

Supermom.

So there we were, superhero parents; standing hand in hand. My super ‘boy’ was standing there right with us, counting the colors of the cars that drove by.

A few quick minutes passed, and a small buss pulled up in front of us and opened the doors. We hugged Finn and he walked towards the bus.

Then he stopped.

It wasn’t a long pause. He stopped right near the stairs and looked towards the end of the bus, then back up at the driver. I could see the hesitation. Was he ok? Then, as quick as he stopped, he hopped right up on the bus without a second look back. The Bus Driver could probably read our minds. “I’ll be bringing Finn back today too.” The tone was encouraging. We said our thanks and watched the bus drive off.

We watched it disappear and started to walk back up the driveway. I was curious. When would my superdad face break? When would supermom drop the act? I squeezed my wife’s hand as we made it to the back door.

A few minutes later, in our kitchen. They broke.

My son is ok. The bus rides were un-eventful. 

Can I shout that from the rooftops? Probably not. I know that so many parents go through much worse… they don’t always get the ‘good’ results that we did.

It’s nice to realize that I am in a family of superheroes.