Delight In Torturing Daddy

Our children shrieked with delight when we had a water fight this morning. It was abundantly clear that I did not want to get wet, which only seemed to make getting me wet all the more exciting to them. While all of us were standing in the miniature pool on the back patio, my son finally succeeded in dumping a bucket of water on my shorts. I didn't make a big deal of it, which he seemed to mistake for permission to aim higher. Before I knew it my shirt was wet. I played along for a little while, until he got water on my head and I was bending down to fill my bucket. There was no fear in his eyes, despite making clear my desire to stay dry, only delight. Then it became personal. Water was flying around like a hurricane in that little pool, and though I was dumping far more water on them then they were dumping on me (my daughter was in on this too) they could not stop laughing. Neither could I. I'm glad the kids had the guts to go against my wishes and get me wet this time. It was a clear call for greater participation on my part.