Proud Papa 2

• (Kerala’s Facebook post)

   

  Another summer reunion in Michigan.

   

  And, a long overdue expression of my deepest gratitude for my parents and sister for consistently going above and beyond when it comes to my kids -- and *particularly* this summer. Each kid had their own "special time" with Mima, Poppop, and Tita in San Francisco earlier this summer and then my parents and sister stepped up again to watch them in Michigan while I worked remotely.

   

  But “watching” my kids does not even begin to describe the extent to which my “first family” engages, teaches, co-creates, and plays. 

   

  Doug Goodkin is the most playful adult I know. You never just “play Frisbee” with my Dad, you invent a whole new Frisbee game. Maybe it also involves a paddle ball or a baseball bat. Maybe you sing a song while you’re at it. Poppop can turn anything into a game, and my kids eat it up almost as enthusiastically as the ice cream cones he spoils them with. 

   

  My Mom Karen is the planner. Any visit with her grandchildren entails weeks of preparation. Test-flying a kite in Golden Gate Park, researching new art projects to try, making lists of activities. My kids come home laden with toilet paper tube robots and tie dye shirts and entire sketchbooks full of watercolors. They make their own lists of what they can do with Mima next time. 

   

  And Talia Goodkin is amazing at speaking my kids’ language. She can get them excited about anything. Want to learn multiplication tables? Sure, Tita! Want to do beach yoga? Yes, wait for me! Want to row the paddle board to Wisconsin? HECK YEAH! My kids confide in Tita and cannot wait for their special Tita time. They emphatically insist they don't want cousins because then Tita wouldn't be able to pay as much attention to them. 

   

  My first family’s only fault is living in a city I can’t afford, but it makes our time together all the more special. Ronnie swears the kids grow at least an inch every week they spend with Mima, Tita, and Poppop. So much learning and growth. That they are all teachers helps, of course, but more than anything it’s the commitment, energy, and .