How long is it till later?

This morning, pre-dawn, I was in the living room with my 3 kids. They have all decided that even with a time change, it is still important to get up before there is light, birds chirping, or coffee brewed. Anyway, we were out in the living room and inevitably, I will be asked to get up off the couch I am planted in to do something, get something, or make something.

This morning, like most mornings, where I am faced with this dilemma, I say something brilliant like, "I can do that a little later." Later, always meaning, 'sometime in the future when my buttocks is not stuck to this couch.'

This morning, though...after a few minutes of future had become past, my son posed a deeply profound question to me, "Daddy, how long is it till later?" I looked at him realizing many things: he is more patient than I thought; his sense of time is improving; he cares deeply about setting up his online world of Build-a-Bear [which had started all this in the first place]; being a 'daddy' here is unplugging myself from the couch and getting into his world for a few minutes.

This morning was great, because for a few minutes, I was "Daddy", a daddy who could be a part of my son's life and do something meaningful to him.