Joel darts his hand out with a laugh, getting it under the ball just in time to catch it before he tosses it very gently back to Dane, making sure his son's arms are out so the ball can mostly just land in the circle he's made. It's such a small thing, being able to toss a big blue ball to his son, but he can't believe how much he enjoys it, how fun he finds these simple little tasks. Playtime with a child Dane's age isn't exactly difficult and Joel remembers trying to play with Charlotte when she was little and always getting terribly bored, but this is different. Dane is theirs. As far as Joel is concerned, every single moment spent with him is perfect.
"Good catch," he encourages, wanting Dane to feel he can do anything he sets his mind to. He's read a lot of parenting books and knows there's a fine line between encouragement and insisting to your child they're utterly perfect and Joel wants Dane to know it's alright to fail, too. That just because he can't do something the first time doesn't mean it's not worth trying again.
There is so much more than goes into parenting than he's ever realized before and he's spent the last year and a half reading every possible book and article he can get his hands on. He and Spencer often talk late into the night about different parenting techniques. It's good they can talk so freely and he feels very lucky to have a partner in this who's so open to discussion and who wants to really hear things out before deciding to try or to dismiss them.
"What do you say we catch the ball more in the kitchen while we get lunch ready?" he asks, figuring they can leave the subject of the pool table until both kids are in bed for the night.
"Your sister will wake up soon and we should make sure we're all ready for that," he says with a laugh, casting a glance over at Spencer. Rose is utterly perfect in every way, but she's still a baby and there's still so much work that goes into raising her. Joel thinks everyone in the house needs a good meal before she wakes up again.
no subject
"Good catch," he encourages, wanting Dane to feel he can do anything he sets his mind to. He's read a lot of parenting books and knows there's a fine line between encouragement and insisting to your child they're utterly perfect and Joel wants Dane to know it's alright to fail, too. That just because he can't do something the first time doesn't mean it's not worth trying again.
There is so much more than goes into parenting than he's ever realized before and he's spent the last year and a half reading every possible book and article he can get his hands on. He and Spencer often talk late into the night about different parenting techniques. It's good they can talk so freely and he feels very lucky to have a partner in this who's so open to discussion and who wants to really hear things out before deciding to try or to dismiss them.
"What do you say we catch the ball more in the kitchen while we get lunch ready?" he asks, figuring they can leave the subject of the pool table until both kids are in bed for the night.
"Your sister will wake up soon and we should make sure we're all ready for that," he says with a laugh, casting a glance over at Spencer. Rose is utterly perfect in every way, but she's still a baby and there's still so much work that goes into raising her. Joel thinks everyone in the house needs a good meal before she wakes up again.