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A momentous father/son day today. After a long walk along the sea shore and just before we headed off home I took the boy to the loo. He has only recently started to do standing up wees and I still take him into the cubicles to do them. He didn't seem that keen to wee, but I was desperate, so I went first. But as I weed he pulled down his pants and started seeing next to me. Into the same toilet. We were crossing streams. This is a more significant moment than handing over the keys to his car or watching him receive a Nobel prize. We weed together: man and boy, father and son. I couldn't have been more proud.
It's quite a small window where you get to wee with your son. I will probably never do this with my dad again (and sadly can't remember ever doing it in the past, though it must have happened). Self-consciousness will soon seep in and make him think that having a wee next to your dad is somehow weird or strange. But there is nothing more normal and powerful than two men weeing simultaneously. Also it's a good way to save water as you only need one flush (I mean that's true of taking turns as well as long as you don't flush in between, but shut up).
I'd like to have this kind of bonding moment with my daughter too and with careful positioning it could be feasible. But if anything went wrong, as seems likely, then it might turn from being a bonding moment to a mentally scarring encounter.
The mini-break continued to be excellent fun. We went to Southwold today and Ernie managed to go into the sea in his shoes. This slowed down our trek to a restaurant on the edge of town as Catie took him back to the car to get changed. In the meantime Phoebe played chicken with the waves and I told her that the best time to get wet was just as her mum returned. Phoebe let me down though!
The early morning cloud and cold disappeared and the afternoon was bright and sunny. The kids picked up dry plant stems and pretended they were wands. We had fish and chips right next to a big fish tank. Sad looking fish stared out at us as we ate their friends. I assumed they were bad fish who were now in fish prison and being forced to watch their brothers being consumed, knowing that at some point that too will be their fate. It only slightly put me off. The fish in the tanks must have done something bad to be punished in that way, so you can't feel too sorry for them.
The weekend has been slightly marred by a late drop out of a guest for Monday's RHLSTP so whilst trying to enjoy the seaside today, I was also trying to find someone who was free to step in at the last minute. I even considered interviewing Ally, my ventriloquist doll, or doing a live Twitch of Fun. But at the very end of the day Deborah Frances-White confirmed that she could do it. She's always incredible value so that's a brilliant replacement for rubbish old unreliable Omid Djalili. She joins Freya and Celeste from Lazy Susan. We could really do with a few more bums on seats for this one, so do come along if you're free at 7.30pm on Monday and in the vicinity of the Leicester Square Theatre.
Buy tickets here or you'll be OK to get them on the door.
