"Dad?"

I was walking my son home from pre-school today. He had wanted me to bring the stroller and push him in it while running. I usually do that with him on the way to preschool, but this morning I skipped it so that I could save my juice for the planned run with my wife.

Then I injured my calf muscle.

I usually don't bring the stroller to pick him up. We just walk back. So when I picked him up I told him I hadn't brought the stroller because I pulled my leg muscle while running. He was OK with that. I want to get him used to the idea that sometimes my limbs won't allow me to do certain things, just in case it happens more often. Not that he isn't used to it already -- he's seen my with an injured foot and a sore back recently.

But anyway.

So as we are halfway back, his soft little voice said "Dad, why are you still on vacation?" I know this bothers him.

"I've been on vacation longer than this before. And I want to spend time with the family. And we're going to Hawaii. And I want to work on my own projects and things." That bit about my own projects was a good thing to say, because it is true, and if he accepts that, it may help him understand why I keep being on vacation. And at some point we can just explain it in terms of me wanting to work on my own projects. Of which I have many planned, and several of which involve writing computer programs.

Reading the reactions of kids is more of an art or even a faith than a science, but my gut feeling was that asking the question gave him a sense of relief, and that my answer also gave him confidence. That's what I think. Then we sat down on his "resting place" half-way home and he fingered some caulk between two bricks and asked me what "caulking" is.

Phew!