Perspective

"He was really mad, but got a bit nicer when he saw my wrist was hurt. He told me to go home, that this was the big kid hangout, that I wouldn't be welcome until I got to the eighth grade. He pointed out that I wasn't really strong enough to ride that far, and that if I had been more experienced, I would know better than to ride my bike with a flat. Because I had, I had ruined the wheel frame, and couldn't ride the bike home. I would have to walk the bicycle home. He helped me up and pointed me, and the bike, in the right direction down the road. He even walked with me a few hundred yards, I guess to make sure I really left. Then he gave me some good advice. He recommended that I quit trying to be older than I was. He started pointing out that life was really pretty good for kids my age. They didn't have to do really hard chores at home, because they were too little. They didn't have to cut their own food, because a parent would help. They could still crawl in bed with their parents if they were afraid, or climb in someone's lap without anyone thinking they didn't need to do that. All in all, he made me see that there was a reason that kids get more and more freedom as they got older and older and could handle it."

Jethro paused, and Tony looked up expectantly. "Finish talking, Daddy. What happened after that?"

"Hmmm... well it took me a long, long time to get home. It was actually just getting dark when I made it back into the yard. My parents were furious when they found out I had gone to the lake."

Tony's eyes widened. "Did you get a spanking?"

Gibbs smiled at Tony's delight. "What do you think they did?"

"I think you got a spanking."

"You are correct. Grandpa tore my bottom up." Jethro looked down at Tony seriously. "Do you think I deserved that?"

Tony nodded vigorously. "Uh huh, because they told you not to go."

"Right- so I got a whipping, and even worse, I had done so much damage to my bike that it was ruined. My parents refused to buy me another bike to replace it, and it wasn't until the next Christmas that I got another one."

Tony nodded sympathetically.

"But even worse than that, my parents said that since I had proved that I was not old enough to be trusted like other nine year olds, they would begin treating me like a six year old. So they put my bedtime way back to the bedtime I had when I was much younger. It was awful."

Tony patted his father's hand. "That would be really bad. It's not fun to have to go to bed early."

Jethro nodded, "Yes, but the point I am trying to make is that part of being a kid is learning to be patient. As you get older, you get more freedom, but also more responsibility. You want to be able to handle it, and that comes from taking care of business when you are five, and then six, and then seven, and then eight, and nine, and so on. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Tony responded seriously.

"Good," his father replied, sliding off the bed and then repositioning Tony in the bed and tucking him under the covers. "So just be patient, and understand that one day you will get to go to the big park by yourself, or to the mall, or stay home alone." He leaned down and kissed Tony, and Tony threw his arms up to pull his dad down to him in an embrace.

"Ok, Daddy, I got it."

Jethro kissed him again, then cut off the bedside lamp and made his way to the doorway. "Night, big boy-"

Tony smiled, "Night, Dad-" and turned over to face the window. He thought about the story he had heard and remembered how his dad had snuggled with him as he'd shared it. Tony imagined himself older and taller and realized with a shock that one day he would be too big to be cuddled by either his father or Abuela. Climbing onto an available lap, or being kissed and hugged were routine in his eight year old life. Maybe he didn't have to grow up so quickly after all, now that he had a chance to think about it.