Once a week my kids spend the afternoon with my dad. They love hanging out with him and he has a great time with them. It's really cool to see how he is with little kids. When I was growing up he wasn't around very much. He worked a lot and he went to the gym almost every day. Until my nephew was born I had no idea how good my dad is with kids. And I love how he is with my kids. He is so silly. If anyone had ever asked me to write a list of qualities my dad has I never would have listed silly because I had no idea. But silly he is. So the kids love spending that afternoon with him once a week.
My dad lives in a condo and there is a rule that you can't throw dirty diapers down the garbage chute, so if Z has a dirty diaper while at my dad's, my dad changes him, puts the diaper in a plastic bag and gives it to me so I can throw it in the garbage bin outside his building.
The other day after I threw the bag in the bin, I unlocked the car and buckled the kids in. When I got in I realized that I had some garbage in the car so I gathered it up, got out of the car and threw it into the bin. And heard a metallic sound when it landed which was strange since I had thrown out a half-full coffee cup and some tissues. And then I realized that I didn't have my keys. And I knew, as I was searching through my pockets and on the ground and in the car that I had thrown them into the bin.
Now when I say garbage bin, I mean it is taller than I am and Huge. I climbed up onto this step-thing that is on the outside of it and could just lean in enough to see inside. There wasn't a ton of garbage and I could see the stuff I'd thrown in. But I couldn't see my keys. There was nothing around that was long enough for me to use to poke through the bags until I found where my keys were, and even if I could see the keys I had no way to get them. I knew that if I climbed into the bin I would never get out. And my kids would be in the car buckled into their car seats, and I would be trapped in a garbage bin. And we would all freeze.
I called my dad from my cell and sheepishly explained what happened. Now I need to point out that I am really careful to not do stupid things. I locked my keys in the car once and felt like an idiot. This was even worse. And I hate feeling stupid especially in front of my dad. For some reason I want him to think that I have it together even though he must know how far that is from the truth. But I couldn't think of any other options other than the freeze to death in the garbage bin scenario. I asked if he had a wire hanger he could bring for me to use. He said he'd be right down.
So I hung out with the kids and waited for my dad. I have to interject here and say that it's a good thing there was no snow and it wasn't ridiculously cold out. Thank you global warming! It felt like a long time but my dad came out of the building holding a swiffer mop handle, a thick string and a huge magnet. He also had a hanger and wire cutters. He essentially McGyvered a fishing rod with a magnet dangling off the end of it. I climbed up the outside of the bin, leaned over the best I could, and poked around in the garbage with the end of the long handle until I could see my keys. Then I fished them out with the magnet. I can't tell you how proud I felt to reel those keys in. It was more exciting than any other fishing I've ever done. Especially because cleaning a set of keys that have been in the garbage is way easier than cleaning a dead fish. And more rewarding (especially since I didn't have another set of keys. How stupid is that?!) ... and I still haven't made another set...
When I held the keys way up in the air like the prize from a champion fight, my dad was so happy. He said: It took me seven minutes but I brought the right tools! It's great having a dad who was a commando in the army. And a mom who was a kindergarten teacher for 35 years. Between the two of them I should be able to McGyver myself out of any sticky situation I ever get into.
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