The Child-Minding Dads

Dad #1

Grandpa Chris Turnbull found a bouncy house at a garage sale.

I have a nice flat space on the lawn at the cabin.

So there  you have it.  A match made in heaven.

Dad #2

 I thought that a quick phone call to houses where there were more children would maximize the use of all of that air being pumped into the tubes of the castle.  

Down the road came dads from other homes – and moms too, but when I go around taking pictures my camera won’t focus on the moms, a fact for which they thank me. 

Dad #3

Other women just duck out – it is enough to gather up the kids and move them to another spot on the property, let alone to think of looking good in some candids.

But the dads don’t seem to mind a quick candid. 

They will flash a smile – so glad to be on holidays. 

Dad #4

Not having to dress up or do any kind of personal grooming is a bonus for them. 

All of them have the skill to be able to watch from one to four kids of their own and to chat with other parents at the same time. 

Dad #5

The men could do it – all comfortable with someone hanging on a pant leg or needing help to run around and find where the door of the house was so that they could go inside again.

It takes about ten minutes for the pump to get the bouncy house up – just the same amount of time as it takes to gather kids up and bring them down to our house. 

Dad #6

What I did learn is that those little ones needed a full-time person bringing them little drinks of water as they ran in and out of the house with their second cousins.

Spot the dad who thinks he is one of the kids.

 I know how many dads were there -- six of them.

I couldn’t count how many children that day.

When I try to count the number of children now, I suspect it was double-digits. 

Arta