Turn Coats

My kids turned from gleeful to glum in an instant. I came home from work to the usual excited show-and-tell, then we started getting ready for dinner. My son wanted to keep showing me his dribbling skills with the basketball, and my daughter wanted to do the same thing. At some point I had to say, I want to watch but we need to get ready for dinner. My kids could see me--I know this because they wanted me to watch everything they were doing--but for some reason they couldn't hear me. So, I took the basketball away to get their attention and held it while I explained once again that we need to set the table and get ready for dinner. As I guided my son toward the table, he pushed away and caste a very grumpy look at me. Then my little girl punched me in the arm because I wouldn't let her sit on my lap during dinner. How could they be so excited to see me one minute then treat me like their arch nemesis the next? My wife pulled me into the kitchen and explained that they are so excited to play with me when I get home that they are disappointed when I come home late and don't have time to play before dinner. Since I don't have to work late often, they are accustomed to some play time before dinner. On top of what my wife told me, I knew that I hadn't been playing much with them at all this week. I even told myself on the way home last night to remember to wrestle with them and still didn't do it. It's been a tiring week with a lot of moving stuff to worry about. At any rate, I apologized to them about the way my schedule worked out today and promised them that we'd play after dinner. We did, a lot. I think we all needed that.