PinF has a daughter not a son, so he's programmed better to a little girl's persona, and happily so. Being one of five brothers has increasingly heightened my appreciation, awe, and respect for all that my parents must've endured. Of course their sacrifices, frustrations, and example were neither missed nor lost on us five sons as we all have dispositions that serve as well whether it be as parents as in the case of two of us, or in the case of my other two brothers, as educators of children.I like that I have
a daughter more than a son. Not that I'd have been any less happy with a son as God knows I'm more versed in the antics, behaviors and general grab ass of little boys, still for me having a daughter fills in the missing gaps of my not having a sister. This in turn allows me to experience and enjoy the journey of the girl as she grows into the woman. The journey thus far has been great, and PinF has often commented on the the nuanced moments of fatherhood to a daughter and what it all means, whether it be the daddy/daughter dance or just trying to be a solid example of what a fun and steady father is.PinF's brother is a father too; in fact, five times over. He has the first son born and after that four daughters spanning 15 years in
ages. So Sophia has no shortage of cousins especially of the girlie persuasion, as three of them range in age between 5 and 11 years with Sophie falling towards the top in age being 10. Still the dynamic of seeing them all together often evokes memories of my own childhood with the petty teasing, often silly alliances, arguments, and luckily more times than not-enjoyment of each other's company. So it was that PinF found himself surrounded by five females last Saturday on a trip to Media that served as both distraction and favor. Distraction for them on a rainy Saturday; and favor to my bother and his wife so that they could finish setting up for their Fall Equinox party scheduled for later that night.Into the truck we all loaded, PinF and his "adult" female in the front, and the four girls in the back. Immedi
ately I was taken back 30 years with "seat saving" declarations, we hadn't pulled away from the house and already the petty childishness was beginning. Luckily PinF is rather immune to this type of grab-ass, having come through the grab-ass University that was my own childhood with four brothers. Next crisis? The youngest one Grace inexplicably sobbing and not giving any reason for doing so. I issued the standard warning to the older girls suspecting them at first, much to their denials of course. This is the beauty of kids as they always claim they've been falsely accused. Once en route the girls wanted me to tune into Q102 and instantly became a singing soundtrack of harmony and pop culture singing lyrics they probably don't understand yet. They're all happy so I take it. (click on hypertext above)Once in town the standard instructions of holding each other's hands at intersections, as well as crossing with 
the light are given and we commence our store to store madness. Of course the sight of a couple with four little girls elicits one of two responses. Either it's one of fear as in a store keepers silent plea to make sure they "look but don't touch", or it's one of "aww, how cute" or "get ready buddy you're gonna have your hands full in a few years". This is of course is funny since I already have "my hands full shepherding four little chatty Cathies' around town. Still, PinF is enjoying it, and soo too is my friend (I think). At about this point my friend peels off to make some phone calls and do a little womanly shopping in some of Media's nicer jewelry and clothing establishments, leaving the PinF with his "angels".
the light are given and we commence our store to store madness. Of course the sight of a couple with four little girls elicits one of two responses. Either it's one of fear as in a store keepers silent plea to make sure they "look but don't touch", or it's one of "aww, how cute" or "get ready buddy you're gonna have your hands full in a few years". This is of course is funny since I already have "my hands full shepherding four little chatty Cathies' around town. Still, PinF is enjoying it, and soo too is my friend (I think). At about this point my friend peels off to make some phone calls and do a little womanly shopping in some of Media's nicer jewelry and clothing establishments, leaving the PinF with his "angels". I've often observed through my own experiences the key to being an effective communicator and or parent to children is in having the ability to reach back and remember the essence of what it is to be a child again. With th
at in mind we snuck into Media's discount five-and-dime store Deals, and began getting goofy, trying on Halloween masks and hats. After this it was off to LB Toys where the ugly head of children not sharing would rear itself, this of course was accompanied by a few tears and petty arguing. Again, PinF saw this as a moment to move the traveling girl power show a little further down the road and it was decided that a Guinness might smooth the emotions of the moment. It did. PinF had a frothy one as the girls enjoyed cokes and chicken fingers. Again the respect, awe and dread were directed towards me by various patrons enjoying their lunches. Really though I don't stress over the petty bumps in the road of kid's behaviors, subscribing instead to the theory of the less attention paid the quicker the crisis passes.
at in mind we snuck into Media's discount five-and-dime store Deals, and began getting goofy, trying on Halloween masks and hats. After this it was off to LB Toys where the ugly head of children not sharing would rear itself, this of course was accompanied by a few tears and petty arguing. Again, PinF saw this as a moment to move the traveling girl power show a little further down the road and it was decided that a Guinness might smooth the emotions of the moment. It did. PinF had a frothy one as the girls enjoyed cokes and chicken fingers. Again the respect, awe and dread were directed towards me by various patrons enjoying their lunches. Really though I don't stress over the petty bumps in the road of kid's behaviors, subscribing instead to the theory of the less attention paid the quicker the crisis passes. Sure enough th
e day was a blast. Oddly enough, I'm referring to myself more than my little prissy charges, oh sure they had fun but I enjoyed it more than them. PinF loves being around children, as if by doing so it serves as a home movie of his own childhood, and based upon my experiences I don't feel as though there is any situation that is unfamiliar to me-even with little girls. Sure, four girls are a lot different than four boys, though I would argue that in fact it may even be easier, since little boys often like to settle their differences with pushing and punching. And so, in recognition of their good behavior it was decided that Uncle PinF would provide a little ice cream treat to the crew as I was quite proud of all the girls and despite a few mini-meltdowns and emotional hiccups it was a really fun day.
e day was a blast. Oddly enough, I'm referring to myself more than my little prissy charges, oh sure they had fun but I enjoyed it more than them. PinF loves being around children, as if by doing so it serves as a home movie of his own childhood, and based upon my experiences I don't feel as though there is any situation that is unfamiliar to me-even with little girls. Sure, four girls are a lot different than four boys, though I would argue that in fact it may even be easier, since little boys often like to settle their differences with pushing and punching. And so, in recognition of their good behavior it was decided that Uncle PinF would provide a little ice cream treat to the crew as I was quite proud of all the girls and despite a few mini-meltdowns and emotional hiccups it was a really fun day. It was right after this as the girls sat on the steps of a State Street store that PinF could see clearly to his own childhood via old yellowed photographs of he and his brothers taken of days long 
passed either down the shore on the boardwalk, or at the Philadelphia Zoo. And so I captured these moments, cognizant of this fact as I peered through the view finder that they probably wouldn't be truly appreciated by the girls for maybe 15 or 20 years. Knowing of course that one day they'll see the photo of themselves cloaked in their childhood innocence, concerned with nothing more than enjoying an ice cream on a cloudy warm Fall day in Media with each other.
passed either down the shore on the boardwalk, or at the Philadelphia Zoo. And so I captured these moments, cognizant of this fact as I peered through the view finder that they probably wouldn't be truly appreciated by the girls for maybe 15 or 20 years. Knowing of course that one day they'll see the photo of themselves cloaked in their childhood innocence, concerned with nothing more than enjoying an ice cream on a cloudy warm Fall day in Media with each other.The day a sucess, we all loaded back into the truck and headed off to home for the festivities of the annual Fall party.
