Today Christopher and I headed to the Zoo with Ramy and Cathy Brooks' little guy, Wyatt. We have not had many opportunities to get to know Wyatt and have enjoyed having a little 4-year old around the house. Christopher was asked particularly if he would be interested in helping with Wyatt just for a few hours this afternoon while Cathy attends a portion of her daughter's hockey camp where parents were asked to come. She figured it would be easier to manage without having an active pre-schooler moving around (especially for those early afternoon hours when they can at times be fussy).

It has been enormously fun to watch Christopher take his charge quite seriously. As we walked around the zoo, I saw myself reflected in how Christopher interacted with Wyatt. He stopped to make sure that Wyatt could see each animal, picking him up when necessary to help him get a better vantage point. He made sure to share one little tidbit of information about each animal before heading to the next exhibit. He took the time to talk to Wyatt and ask him questions about which animals he liked and why. He sat with him during our picnic lunch and made good conversation with him, listening often and asking lots of questions. All of a sudden I could see the hundreds of trips to the zoo with Christopher I've taken and see him exhibiting all those things I did with him. It made me feel like a not completely horrible parent.

And sometimes you just need to be reminded that you're not a completely horrible parent. Last night was a tough parenting night filled with too many activities in too short of a period of time. Between the hours of 5-8:30 I needed to drop Christopher off at swim team, pick up Cate from camp, pick up Christopher at swim team, deliver Christopher to boy scouts, get Cate a meal and a shower, and then head back to pick up Christopher from boy scouts. Got all that? After a long day at camp (fun, but long!) the evening was just too jam packed for Cate. Both kids were too tired out by the time we got home. She was melting down and rather than staying patient and calm, mommy was melting down right next to her. It wasn't the reel I'd send in for consideration for my Mommy Emmy.

So, I'm grateful that Christopher is doing such a great job with Wyatt. Maybe the good mommy moments will outweigh the bad ones in the end result!