Morality Boogers

I have two sons. The younger boy is a year and a half and has only begun forming semi-coherent verbalizations in order to get what he wants. The older one is an entirely different story. He has discovered that speech is a powerful weapon, one of causing both joy and extraordinary annoyance in his parents. (I love him, to be sure, don't get me wrong, but the power of speech can be and is regularly abused by three-year-olds.)

Anyways, the older boy has recently begun a ritual that begins as soon as I get home, and continues pretty much until he goes to bed. It goes something like this:

ME: Hi, Ethan!
THE BOY (otherwise known as Ethan): Hi, Daddy!
ME: How're you dooooing?
ETHAN: How're you dooooing? Ha ha ha!
ME: Okay...! So, I need something to eat.
ETHAN: Okay, Daddy.

Pause...

ETHAN: Daddy, what're you doing?
ME: I'm making myself a sandwich.
ETHAN: Oh.

Pause...

ETHAN: Daddy, what're you doing?
ME: I'm walking towards the table with my sandwich.
ETHAN: Daddy, what're you doing?
ME: I'm sitting down.
ETHAN: Daddy, what're you doing?
ME: Buying stock in earplugs. What are you doing?
ETHAN: Daddy, what're you doing?

This routine continues for as long as it holds his interest, which means from the moment I come through the door to the moment I close his bedroom door and say goodnight. It can be at times amusing, at other times hair-ripping-out-of-head obnoxious. But the fact remains that his need to know my status at all times is a powerful urge in his inner being. I don't know where he learned the phrase, but he learned it and has put it to majorly good use (in his mind, anyways.)

His pestering got me to thinking, however. I probably overthink at least one thing a day but this was probably a helpful overthink. My son's insistent demands to know what I was doing every minute made me think that in a way that is how we should live our lives. Every second, every minute, every hour counts. How often do we cruise through the day thinking of how awesome tomorrow is going to be and yet wanting to just make it through the current day?

I got to bemusedly sit through work today wondering how the heck I would answer my son if he was sitting next to me the whole time saying, "Daddy, what're you doing?" What would I have told him? "Well, son, I am staring off into space while the next piece of product goes down the assembly line, at which point I will stand up, put a new piece in and then sit down and stare off into space again." Could I honestly tell him that I was engaging my mind and improving my soul? Or would I have to tell him that I was just going through the motions with a switched-off brain?

I would hope it was the former, but I can't honestly say it was. I was working hard doing what I was supposed to do, but I was switched off, cruising. I see now with my son's help that cruising through the day is to a certain degree immoral. Every moment should be infused with something good, not a bland void. My three-year-old, snotty, overly-talkative (and ridiculously cute) son made me see that. I owe my kid a debt of gratitude for being a reminder to me of what really is important. So thank you, my little morality booger, for opening my eyes. I mean seriously, my son sometimes refuses to eat because he thinks he will miss something important. That's how hard he lives his little life.

And speaking of kids, I am way too full of kiddie fish sticks right now for my own good. I think now would be a good time to go to bed. Good night.