Through the eyes of a child

COVID19 - School Closure - Day 157 School Reopens - Day 259

Took the opportunity of a 3 day weekend to head out to the city to see the folks. I knew it was gonna be an uphill battle. The day was going to be long... and there'll be some unhappy moments (sprinkled with unforgettable moments).  

We first went to see dad... picked up some San Tung chicken wings and headed to his place for lunch.  We then headed to his rec center and played a long awaited yet much anticipated game of ping pong with his grandson.  Very much forgettable... and possibly a top 10 moment of the 20's.  But the forgettable thing was... dad couldn't stop thanking "SW" for making his wish come true.  Even though he really did have a dream of playing with SW... not once, did dad make any mentions of playing with NN. ***grrrr***

Then we headed over to shoot some hoops together.  Dad has been bothered by an ailing back problem but he muscled through it and we got some 2 on 2 action in there.  Seeing dad really struggle there towards the end... I ended the game in a hurry.  NN continued to shoot... to which dad was thoroughly impressed by her shooting strength and accuracy.  And NN continued to shoot... in a way... to show dad that she's not "just another girl."  It was a statement moment for her.  

We then wrapped up the afternoon and evening spending time with mom.  Taking her Costco shopping... then trudged through traffic to take a short hike at Golden Gate Park.  I really didn't know what else to do with them.  By that time... everyone was exhausted and emotions started bubbling.  I tried to handle it in stride... to which... I too, finally collapsed and couldn't bite my tongue anymore and snapped at mom.

At night..  while putting NN to sleep.. she game me a synopsis of the day.

"No matter what happens... 爺爺 will always see past me and see SW and CT."  To which I can only reply.. "So true.  Just be glad that 嫲嫲 can't stop talking at you or about you."

Then she made some keen observations...

"It's obvious you and 爺爺  have a closer relationship.  I see you laughing and joking with him.  With 嫲嫲, she's doing the talking and you're listening.  And she gets on your nerves sometimes and you snap at her."  Crap... not a good example to be setting.  And frankly... nothing much I can do to hide it anymore.

She then goes on and on about how she sees our family relationship.  About how I deal with the in-laws... and then how I have a bias even to her and SW.  To which, I denied nothing and simply listened.  NN is coming of age... she knows what's going on.  She knows the right things to say... and how to look for that unicorn of a silver lining.  But when it's all said and done... our family is very much broken... like most other families out there, I guess.