A Little Friendly Competition
Hari and I are idiots. I just had to get that out of the way up front. We've been competitive with one another literally (I am not exaggerating!) from the moment we met. How is our insanity translating to parenthood?
We now race every time when we're buckling the boys in their carseats.
I always get Ryan, Hari gets Colin. There are advantages to each. Colin can ostensibly help, but usually sits on the lower buckle, and tends to get overly interested in what Ryan and I are doing. Ryan isn't much help, but he's still small enough that I can kinda man-handle him and get things done.
The race starts once we have both boys plopped in their carseats. Whoever finishes clicking their kid in first wins. It is a frantic rush. Every time. We don't discuss it, or even say anything. It is just understood - you get the kids in their seats and... GO!!! The boys even get into it - Colin gets frantic if he sees me and Ryan getting close, Ryan smiles and flails his head and arms around with excitement. And the boy who is finished first shouts (in a fake French accent) "CHAM-PION!" usually accompanied by a fist pump. (OK, Ryan does that even when he finishes second... the little guy is convinced he's a winner every time. Kinda cute... but we all know... there can be only one!)
For those of you concerned about safety, don't worry. After our initial frantic rush I do recheck both boys each time, making sure their buckles are secure and snug, and that everything is properly aligned. But there's nothing like the rush of hearing that and knowing you won.
We now race every time when we're buckling the boys in their carseats.
I always get Ryan, Hari gets Colin. There are advantages to each. Colin can ostensibly help, but usually sits on the lower buckle, and tends to get overly interested in what Ryan and I are doing. Ryan isn't much help, but he's still small enough that I can kinda man-handle him and get things done.
The race starts once we have both boys plopped in their carseats. Whoever finishes clicking their kid in first wins. It is a frantic rush. Every time. We don't discuss it, or even say anything. It is just understood - you get the kids in their seats and... GO!!! The boys even get into it - Colin gets frantic if he sees me and Ryan getting close, Ryan smiles and flails his head and arms around with excitement. And the boy who is finished first shouts (in a fake French accent) "CHAM-PION!" usually accompanied by a fist pump. (OK, Ryan does that even when he finishes second... the little guy is convinced he's a winner every time. Kinda cute... but we all know... there can be only one!)
For those of you concerned about safety, don't worry. After our initial frantic rush I do recheck both boys each time, making sure their buckles are secure and snug, and that everything is properly aligned. But there's nothing like the rush of hearing that
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