Songs For Your Mother Gordon MacMillan (good books for 7th graders .txt) 📖

We’re a unit, and I have to think of us that way. It’s more than that. We are still getting to know each other, and I want to keep him all to myself. I don’t like to share, or rather the only person I want to share with is Lauren, which I can’t do.

The other thing I didn’t want to say to Susan is that my life has changed. I’m not a single guy. I’m a parent, and there now exists a small gulf between us. I wouldn’t have thought it possible before Luke arrived. If I’d heard someone say it (“you only get it if you have children”), I would have rolled my eyes and considered it sanctimonious. But it’s true.

I mean, how different could it be? The answer is entirely different. I am in one way or another always thinking about Luke. Where he is, how he is doing and if he is okay. Because the truth is I am responsible for him, and nobody else is.

After my mother and sister return with Luke from the park, we drive over to the toy superstore. Tonight, I’ve promised Luke we can watch Star Wars. Starting with the original movie of course, and not the prequels or spinoffs.

We’re taking a trip to buy a Star Wars related toy. Ahead of the visit, we’ve been looking at the website, and Luke has chosen something that he says he wants.

After we arrive at the retail park and are out of the car, Luke takes my hand and is almost pulling me along as we walk to the shop.

‘What are you most excited about?’ I ask him.

‘What are you most excited about?’ Dani says. ‘You seem to be grinning as much as anyone.’

‘I’m here for Luke,’ I say, trying to give the impression that I am above such behaviour.

‘Make sure your daddy lets you play with your new toys,’ Dani says.

With a big grin, Luke says, ‘They’re not for you, Daddy.’

I take no small amount of delight in hearing him say that word. It is something that happens daily, and I cannot adequately explain to myself why.

Inside the shop, Luke’s hand slips from mine, and he is off, racing down an aisle at the speed of a five-year-old boy. As he weaves past other children and dads, I am right behind him – as Saturday is officially dad day. There are Facebook groups for it, on which I lurk. These groups are called things like ‘Who let the dads out’ and worse ‘It’s DaddaDay!’. It’s where dads post concerns and ask for ideas of things to occupy their children. It’s where, for instance, I discovered a brilliant huge soft play centre called ‘Clown City’. It is a place full of aerial runways, rope climbs, and the fastest slides I have ever been on. We’ve been a couple of times, and Luke loves it.

We locate the Star Wars section, which is enormous, and Luke stands there staring, as my mother and sister arrive on the scene.

‘I don’t know what to choose,’ Luke says.

‘What about the things we looked at?’ I suggest, picking up an X-wing toy and showing it to Luke.

Luke shakes his head. ‘I don’t like that anymore.’

This is something I’ve learnt. Luke can get a brand-new toy and reject it in minutes for something else. A day later, though, he will pick it up again, and it will be his new favourite. You just have to go with it, don’t argue, and don’t push. None of that works, you just have to let him take his time, which we do today.

Dani picks up a lightsaber and turns to Luke.

‘Hey, buddy, what about this?’

Luke’s face lights up when he sees it, and I know that I am in trouble.

‘Daddy, can I have it?’ he asks.

‘A lightsaber? I’m not sure about that. I think we might have to wait.’

‘You had one, I seem to remember,’ my mother unhelpfully pipes up.

‘I know, but wasn’t I, like, eight?’

My mother picks up the box and examines it.

‘Age range five-plus. He will be fine. Get two, one for a friend,’ she says.

Thanks Mum, I groan inwardly to myself. Then I take a breath and remind myself to go with it. What’s the worst that can happen?

‘More like one for you,’ Dani says.

‘Okay,’ I say, making some imaginary lightsaber sounds. ‘Let’s get it.’

Luke does a little joyful jump. It is at this point, having won the lightsaber battle, that Luke returns to the rejected X-wing toy, which he now also wants.

For a moment, I think of reminding him that we said one toy. However, before I get a chance to say anything, Dani jumps in.

‘Of course you can. This can be from your Auntie Dani.’

‘And this,’ Luke says, pointing to a Darth Vader figure.

‘That can be from me,’ my mother says.

For a moment, I think back to what I’ve read, about how spoiling a child can lead to temper tantrums and demands for more. I know it is something I have to keep in mind, although if there is anyone who needs spoiling, it is Luke.

With our collection of Star Wars toys purchased, my mother and sister drop us off. We say our goodbyes, and Luke hugs my mother and sister. Each time this happens, I get a warm fuzzy feeling, as despite having me, Luke does not have Lauren. My mother and my sister, I’ve come to see, help bridge that gap. They fill some of the void, which I alone cannot do.

Sadly, I’m pretty excited. I get to be the one who introduces Luke to the whole Star Wars saga, which also feels like where our story began.

I did wonder whether he was too young. Having considered it, I reassured myself that it’s perfectly okay. There’s not so much as a drop of blood in the film. Plus, the one peck on the cheek makes it positively chaste. Besides, in truth, it’s a kids’ film for adults.

After a dinner of burgers and broccoli, I bring out the