Dads and their kids at the coffee shop

This week I saw some great bonding going on with dads and their kids over breakfast--lessons being taught. One dad was teaching his daughter fractions by writing them on the napkin and then drilling her. She looked old enough to have been taught this some time ago in school, but was having a struggle. Probably Chicago Math.

I also overheard a British dad instructing his kids in proper use of English and why it's important to wash hands. "You're doing well, not good," he reminded the younger one who spoke American English. "Go wash your hands so you don't catch colds." That may be the first time I've heard someone tell kids to wash after they've eaten.

"My wife's first baby daddy . . . "

I didn't catch the rest, but did wonder how many more baby daddies his wife has, and how many would have ruined the relationship. Young people today. . .

Married 48 years

I don't recall how we got started on the topic of how long we'd been married--talking to people in the coffee shop is not unlike talking to people on the bus. Somehow, we discovered we'd both been married 48 years. For me it's the same guy. For her it is 24 and 24. The first husband, the father of her children, she divorced. . . not sure why. . .but that sounds like the mid-life stray--probably his. The second one, she told me, is not worth mentioning, but he's the father of her step-children, and everyone is getting together for Christmas so she had some shopping to do. Her dislike for the man was almost palpable. A real don't tell, don't ask sort of thing, I think. How sad. Sounds like they will go the distance together. Maybe she likes his kids.