My children are free to pursue their passions.
I love cycling, running and nightclubs. If they get older and their interests coincide with mine, that's great. But if not, I'll manage that too. I'm a good enough dad to recognize that different people like different things. Aside from opera, brass band or anything that gets the police at my door tardy at night, I will support all three of my boys in whatever they want to do.
But again …
No opera.
Right now, however, my two oldest are three-year-old twins who look nothing alike. In addition to this energetic duo, my wife and I have another little boy who will soon celebrate his first birthday.
The smallest of them all can't walk yet, so he's got his hands full with that. And to be candid, even though the other two are both very good at walking, running, and destroying practically everything of value in my house, I've seen them similarly for a long time…
It's too tiny for the fun stuff.
Green Splatter: The Twins
Luckily, I realized this a few months ago and decided that enough was enough.
Fuck her age…
Why not combine both?
If you've ever tried to tame toddlers, you know firsthand that it's a test of patience. At this stage in life, they rarely need instruction, explanations of the rules, or diving headfirst into the details of disc golf as a future professional pursuit. Right now, each monster is still working on successfully pulling up their pants after using the bathroom.
Less is more.
To get them involved (successfully) in a round of disc golf, nine holes of pitch-and-putt is about as intense as you can get – that's my experience. And to be completely candid, there's more running and less throwing on their part. At least, that's the best I've come up with so far.
After I hit a shot, each boy, armed with a mini-marker, must find the disc I just threw as quickly as possible and mark it with the mini-marker. After I mark my location, the boy who got there first can pick up the thrown disc and “throw” it towards the basket.
DGPT: The Discraft Great Lakes Open 2024
After traveling no more than three feet, the second boy picks up the freshly thrown disc and does exactly the same. Sharing is caring, right? This process then repeats until I putt. Once I make my putt, both boys also get their own attempt to get to the basket with “Daddy's Frisbee.”
It's fun to throw things at things.
And chains sound cold.
I understand it.
* Pro tip: Pack a few packs of fruit snacks in your bag, just in case the tears inevitably start to flow.
I'm sure there are much better ways to do this. In time, I'll include junior discs in the mix as well. But right now, things are undeniably going well for us. I get to play. The boys get to burn off some energy. And Mom has the house to herself (more or less) for a full 45 minutes.
None of my children will likely be the reincarnation of Paul McBeth. But even when they are older, they will no doubt remember the times we spent together on the golf course.
That’s reason enough for me.
That is happiness.
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