The Man Drawer
The other day I noticed that Soren's fingernails were long and filthy. (As an aside, am I the only mother with a child who has fingernails that exist in only two forms: either just trimmed, or long and gross? I swear there is never a time where they are just a little long and still clean. Every time I see his gross nails I wonder what his teacher thinks of our home hygiene.) Anyway...
I told him to go get the nail clippers so I could trim them. We keep clippers in a few locations. First place to check is the bathroom drawer, and if you strike out there you go to Dad's Magical Man Drawer.
I noticed that Soren had been gone quite awhile, so I went to check on him.
I found him in the office kind of silently staring at all the manly bounty before him. He looked up at me and held out Peter's wisdom tooth...
"Mom, what's this?"
"Oh, that is your Dad's tooth. You should ask him about that."
So he carried the tooth into the kitchen and asked Peter about it. And here's where I knew that I was watching one of those fatherpassing-great-knowledge-about-manliness-down-son moments.
Peter told Soren about having his wisdom teeth removed and how he actually managed to sneak the teeth out of the dentist office. Well, wait, that was the real story. Peter told Soren something far more embelished, manly, and interesting.
After a suitable period being awe-struck at his Dad's great manliness, Soren slipped out of the room only to return with a big knife from the Man Drawer.
"Dad, what's this?"
And again, it didn't just end at "a knife" but had an elaborate explanation that including freeing himself in the jungle, and bears, and a lot of other high adventure.
The Man Drawer. I think we might need to rename it The Great Story Drawer.
I told him to go get the nail clippers so I could trim them. We keep clippers in a few locations. First place to check is the bathroom drawer, and if you strike out there you go to Dad's Magical Man Drawer.
I noticed that Soren had been gone quite awhile, so I went to check on him.
I found him in the office kind of silently staring at all the manly bounty before him. He looked up at me and held out Peter's wisdom tooth...
"Mom, what's this?"
"Oh, that is your Dad's tooth. You should ask him about that."
So he carried the tooth into the kitchen and asked Peter about it. And here's where I knew that I was watching one of those fatherpassing-great-knowledge-about-manliness-down-son moments.
Peter told Soren about having his wisdom teeth removed and how he actually managed to sneak the teeth out of the dentist office. Well, wait, that was the real story. Peter told Soren something far more embelished, manly, and interesting.
After a suitable period being awe-struck at his Dad's great manliness, Soren slipped out of the room only to return with a big knife from the Man Drawer.
"Dad, what's this?"
And again, it didn't just end at "a knife" but had an elaborate explanation that including freeing himself in the jungle, and bears, and a lot of other high adventure.
The Man Drawer. I think we might need to rename it The Great Story Drawer.
I love it! Bill's man drawer consists of receipts, business cards, and pens. Not nearly as fun. We go there to find change.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that all men had a man drawer. Dan has one too. Why? Very strange....this needs some research.....
ReplyDeleteWe have no man drawer!! I'll have to get on that... and stock it with teeth and big knives. Hmmm...sounds more like a Crocodile Dundee drawer. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's so true about the fingernail situation! Every time one of my sister's would watch my kids, they would come home with trimmed nails. And I was judged.
ReplyDeleteOh, the man drawer. Ours has a couple of knives, some business cards, watches, head lamp, batteries and coins. And in Neal's younger years, it included patches, pins and bullets.