Joint Parenting
"Hey Daddy, guess what!" shrieked eight-year-old Lorelei McKay as she ran towards him, leaving Mommy behind to close the front door.
Knowing he had an audience, one made up of sneaking glances by the mother, the father put on a show. Bending down, he scooped up the giggling little girl and swung her around onto his unforgiving back.
Once settled, the golden-haired child tried again. "You'll never believe what I learned today, Daddy!"
"What did you learn, Lor?" Rodney finally asked.
"How to build a nuclear weapon," she stated matter-of-factly.
Jennifer's eyes snapped up to Rodney's but all he could do as a father, as a genius, as a father to a genius, was bust out a wide, proud smile.
"Seriously? That's fantastic! They'll be teaching you calculus by the time you're ten!" Rodney's eyes were bright with pride as he grinned at his wife. The stern look he received in return didn't look quite as happy. He put Lorelei down as Jennifer motioned for her.
"We're both proud of you, sweetie, but promise me you'll never take that knowledge lightly. No building nuclear bombs just to prove you know how." The brown-eyed mother looked deep into the same shade of blue eyes as was possessed by the man she happily married. They looked sweeter, more innocent than the other identical pair.
"I promise, Mommy."
"Okay, go start on your homework for a bit and then we'll start dinner and see if the best method to building a nuclear weapon has changed in the last 38 years." She gave a small smile, remembering that story.
Beckoning over her husband after their daughter left, Jennifer said, "You build one nuclear bomb…"
"I know, I know." He pulled her into his embrace and kissed away the end of her sentence.