Father-Son Rites of Passage

Today was a big day for Kevin and Alex - particularly Kevin.  It's every parent's dream to wake up one day and realize that they can share their interests with their children.  Kevin's main interests right now? His family (immediate and extended), friends, skiing and hockey. 

I can only imagine how a father imagines that tiny baby boy that is cradled in his arms, grown up and sitting beside him on the couch for football Sundays or hiking through canyon country together or tossing a baseball back and forth in the yard.  I know these are things that Kevin imagined. And he's honest about the fact that he loves each stage with our boys, but the older they get the more and more connected he feels - far from the days of them crying out for me because I was the primary source of food and comfort.

This morning, Kevin took Alex skiing - just the two of them.  We spent all weekend skiing with friends - a couple who has a son smack between Alex and Ben in age.  The boys had a great two days playing together, and the dads each took a day to hang out with the boys while the moms (lucky me!) and the other dad skiied.  We were all set to drive home from the mountains on Sunday night, but Kevin suggested that we stay so that he could take Alex skiing today.

I dropped them off at Arapahoe Basin and Alex's last words were, "Skiing is more fun than playing, Mommy!"  Those are strong words for a 4 1/2 year old.  I could tell that he was so excited to share this time with his dad.  They had a great morning skiing together.  Alex rode not only the "kids lift" but the "grown up lift" too.  They stayed on the green runs, but Kevin even told me that on the steeper parts, "Alex skiied down faster than you do." I'm not sure of that, but I was so happy that they had such a great time skiing TOGETHER.  Not a dad dragging his son down the mountain.  Not a toddler whining his way through the day.  But father and son doing something that they love - together.

Tonight, the fun continued.  My little man and my grown-up man went to their first hockey game together.  Alex has been excited for weeks to see his first "alive hockey game." The boys love to cuddle on the couch with Kevin while he watches his beloved Redwings take the ice on television. 

Tonight, the boys headed out to watch those Redwings take on the Avalanche in person.  Alex was beaming - feeling like the big boy who gets to eat hot dogs at the game, stay up late and see the hockey players in real life. They're not home yet, but it appears from the picture above that the real life version was just as great as his expectations.

I've always known that Kevin is an amazing father, but today it was thrilling to witness this friendship that he's building with his boys as well.  I can only hope that it will continue for years to come.