It’s the Great Pumpkin

We are finally able to make holiday traditions son. I work a normal work schedule for the first time in our family’s young life. And one of them is carving pumpkins. It is one that both your mother and I enjoy but as you will be able to tell, you enjoyed it as well.

You started out just painting your pumpkin. Your mother and I decided that would be the safest and probably the cleanest way for you to take part in our new tradition.

Of course I had to go and show you what was inside of a pumpkin…

It was at that moment that you thought it would be fun to get your hands dirty and feel the inside for yourself.

What you pulled out, you thought was pretty cool!

But that was not the only thing you though was cool, you deemed it awesome to cover yourself in pumpkin filth!

After a bath you were able to see the creations that your mother and I were creating and loved them!

 

And then to top of the night, we let you watch what has become your newest fascination, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

You loved every bit of it! And we can not wait to share this tradition with you again next year!

The Hunt

While many of you were watching your children hunt Easter eggs this past Sunday, I was hunting news, which on Easter Sunday means all the Easter egg hunts around the metro area. In the past these things were a cool thing to shoot video of since there were so many babies, which who does not like cute babies on TV right?

Once the parents see you shooting video of their baby they immediately come up and ask, “Will this be on TV?” You were letting your child act like an idiot, yup it will be on TV!

Or the “Are you allowed to be here?” Nope, we are not! The press release that was sent to us because someone thought this event was news worthy said that the media was NOT invited.

Or “Do you know what time this will be on?” Alright this is a ligament question, however, the chosen few only know that and I am not one of them. I just shoot the news stories.

Or the infamous, “Do you work for the news?” I am carrying around a big camera, a microphone that has the news station logo on it, and just drove up and a huge live truck that has our name plastered all over it… you tell me who I work for?

I digress…

This year was different. I was looking at the Easter egg hunts this year as strategy for next year when the Kid will actually understand to hunt down the eggs. Come to think about it, he has already hunted down one egg and that was a success right?

I find my place to shoot video and after about 10 minutes a father son combo stand right next to me. The dad leans down and says to his son,

Alright you are going to go after these right here and pick up as much as you possibly can!

© The Rookie Dad

Good advice! The dad then turns to me and asks if that was a good pre-game speech. I tell him

Yup, and I plan to tell my two and half-year old next year the exact thing!”

Another dad comes and stands on the other side of me, his advice to his daughter…

Find the egg with all the money it!

Sound advice! I am sure that your child will take her 90% of the winnings and you get the rest.

However, in TV News you know that we are always on the look-out for the better story, so my focus turns to the father son.  Before the hunt starts I get in my place to shoot video of his son getting the eggs… the buzzer sounds, signaling the start of the hunt.

His son does not move… he is telling his son to not be scared and go get some eggs. Still no movement out of the son.

As a parent, you know that these hunts only last but a split second, barely enough time for a news photographer to get all the video necessary to get your precious little child on TV. This child however missed out on all the eggs. I felt for the child, I would hate to go to a hunt get the Kid all prepped by telling him what to do and come away empty-handed.

Something then happened that I have never seen or payed any attention to, another kid came up and shared her Easter eggs with him. It was so sweet because you knew the son was so disappointed that he did not get any.

© The Rookie Dad

While this whole story was playing out, I was thinking this is what my future will be about, telling my son one thing and he will not do it? Oh wait, that happens even NOW!