Your Dad is Playing Arcade Games

The other day we took our kids to a local indoor entertainment center.  This place has tons of cool stuff for kids… arcade games, go-carts, putt-putt golf, dress up rooms for little kids, a pirate ship with working air-canons, a bowling alley and so on.  When we were in the “largest sandbox in Colorado”, which looks like a cave with stalactites, stalagmites and their version of dinosaur bones, we ran into another family.  The family was made up of a 1-year-old girl, a 4-year-old boy, the mom and the dad.  When I first walked in with my youngest daughter, the dad was sitting on a bench, nose buried in his iPhone.  The mom was actively playing with the kids in the sand.

I cordially said hello to the mom and helped my daughter get situated in the sand.  About a minute after I was in the room, the dad walked up to the mom, whispered something in her ear and walked out.  As he rounded the corner, the wife asked him, “Why do you have to go?”  No response.

Immediately, the young boy tried running after his dad.  He wanted to be with him.  The mom told the boy “Dad will be back in a minute, wait here.”  The boy proceeded to ask his mom to go with his dad six more times over the course of the next ten minutes.  Eventually, the mom called the dad on his cell phone to see where he was, although he didn’t appear to answer.  This time, the boy asked “Mom, where’s Dad?”  She said, “You Dad is playing arcade games.”

I couldn’t believe my ears.  I was astonished!  This dad was NOT manning up!  He left his wife and kids to go play arcade games!?!  The whole point of this type of place (other than for the owners to make lots and lots of money)  is for families to be together.  All his son wanted to do was be with his dad, all the dad wanted to do was be by himself.  It was apparent, that even during the few short seconds that I observed their interaction, the mom and dad were having problems.  It was apparent, that even during the few second that I observed their interaction, the dad wasn’t concerned with being with his family.  I feel sorry for this entire family. 

These kids are going to grow up thinking that their father acts the way a man should.  It’s a sad thing really.

Man up!