The day began like this, with G locking herself outside.

I guess she is old enough and clever enough to finally operate the front door.   Too bad it didn’t stay that way.   It turned into this:

such a nice wavy pattern all the way down the side of my car, and some on the hood too.

she spends a fair amount of time in the garage, cuz I spend a fair amount of time in the garage.   Other than grease from the bike chain and the threat of a brake rotor, she is pretty easy to watch and let her have fun.   She knows to be gentle with just about everything, and there is not much she can hurt being gentle that has not already plunged down South Mountain. Last week a friend was telling me how he will start a repair and let his little boy finish tightening nuts or whatnot, and they have great fun together.   It sounded so promising.   Who knew a paint brush could fuck up my car so bad?   A paintbrush has a metal band around its brissles, i guess she was not painting, or brushing, or using it for its intended purpose.   One second I was getting my camelback and shoes from the garage, the next I saw my car had been vandalized.   It was kinda cute seeing such free-flowing in her art.

I yelled once, then gathered myself, quickly, and just kept quiet and stewed while I drove her to daycare.   Stewing in front of your toddler, if you have built a relationship with your toddler, is no bullshit.   She knew something was wrong, very wrong, she did not understand why her immediate and sincere “Sorry Daddy” did not make everything better…it always works at daycare?   I can not for anything figure out how someone could get mad so mad at a toddler and hit them.   This was bad, real bad, and I was real pissed, but it was just G being 3.   What was there to do, but stew?   And blog. If you hit someone so small, you have a real problem.   Its not that I don’t ever see myself needing a smack to teach G a lesson, the very very few times I have clocked Kila it has been well-deserved and worked wonders and set the stage for the mere suggestion having the desired effect for years to come.   But at 3 the punishment can not fit the crime, in the traditional sense.   A little spank on her ass or her cheek, maybe if she was being extremely willful and knew she was being willful (ahh…another post yet to come), but what other need could you possibly have to *hit* a tinyHuman?   I just can’t ever see hitting your child.

So I stewed.   Then I was mad at myself for being mad at my daughter, and making her sad, and making me sad.   Helluva way to start the day.

A National ride with Bob is a good way to cure a lot of woes, with a first time down 32nd St.   It was steep and loose, but an easy way down the north face; fun in its way, but no 24th St.   Then G and Kila and I off to the park, where for the first time ever she pushed me on the swings.   She really enjoyed playing 1-2-3!!! Then a soak in the hot bath (apparently, not a hot tub).

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She does do a very solid apology, in her way.

Scored 4 hockey tix from work, and with a little begging got one more, so JB and his little girl came with Beckie, G and I. Fun was had! Some of it even by the adults.

Fascinating watching G interact with Natalie, who she’s met a couple of times but basically did not remember. Natalie is quieter, and G (at least around her parents) is very outgoing. Natalie is a tad older, and actually was more interested in trying to be friends than G was. She was certainly nicer to me than G was to JB.   Natalie high 5’s and knuckles, G gets pouty.   When G would be interested in Natalie, Natalie would not be interested in G.   And vice versa.   Two separate walkabouts around the stadium were taken with two separate sets of parents.   And the Coyotes went from 2-2 to 3-7, WTF?!

The seats were lower than the box, above the goal.   I saw some things I have never seen before.   When the Coyotes were on a power play, they caught the D in transition and had a 3-on-1 instead of a 3-on-2 and scored in the blink of an eye.   I remember a game with Ironwood where that happened with me, Al Taylor an Larry Dues, and after most practices beginning with games of 3-on-3 Mini it was pitiful to watch the D try to stop us.   This was that, but faster, much faster, much faster.   I saw the Ducks use a breakout play and march the puck down and score.   I saw the Coyotes enforcer start a fight 1 minute into the 2nd after the Ducks scored :30 seconds into the 2nd, win the fight, and the ‘yotes score 30 seconds later.

Things we learned:

• an extra ticket can often be snagged from my coworkers on the day of
• G fears Giant Inflatable Men on Skates
• You can abuse Rupert Murdock by poaching the potty’s at the Fox Sports Grill
• G is upset that genetics make her riding on my head lower than Natalie riding on JB’s head
• Shots in the box seats cost $8.50 and come in plastic cups
• You *can* bring beer from one part of the stadium to any other part of the stadium
• Feeding your toddler a 6,000 calorie brownie and a Diet Pepsi is not a good way to ensure you will watch the game
• Waitresses in the box are a poor substitute for cheerleaders, and expect to get tipped.