I got home from work the other day and my three-year-old was nowhere to be seen.
- Normally, he rushed me when I walked into the house and wanted to know if I brought him anything.
My wife was standing by the basement door, and I could hear her chuckling. I asked what was so interesting in the basement. She jumped and shushed me. She said the HVAC technician was working on the furnace and our three-year-old was helping. He was handing tools to the HVAC technician and listening to the technician when he told him what he was doing. I could just imagine the conversation we were going to have that night. Our little boy would be telling us how he had helped fix the furnace, and what a cool guy the HVAC technician was. I wasn’t so sure I wanted my baby downstairs working with this guy. Maybe he would prefer if I were an HVAC technician and then we could work on the furnace and air conditioning unit together. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel about my child wanting to be with a man that wasn’t me. My wife saw the conflict I was feeling and she gave me a hug. She nudged me and quietly said that Daddy was home. Within seconds, my baby was up the steps and in my arms, asking if I had brought him anything. I want to think I worried too much about my son not wanting me anymore, but it was concerning. I don’t have a cool job like being an HVAC technician. All I do is go into a hospital every day, and try to keep people healthy and out of the hospital.