Dallas, Texas

"See, they're really friendly little things", dunking his hand into the water to show John Ross that the stingrays at the aquarium weren't nearly as scary as he seemed to think they were, JR frowned as his son continued to squirm and hide in Sue Ellen's arms. For a boy who usually loved animals he sure didn't seem to be thrilled by sea creatures, or the environment they lived in. First he'd cried because coming in from outside, he didn't like the dim lighting, then because he couldn't touch the fish through the glass, then because a turtle had swum toward the window too quickly, startling him, and finally now that they were at an exhibit where the tank was open, he seemed to be frightened of the lively stingrays. "Look, daddy's patting them just like the horses at the ranch", appreciating Sue Ellen's attempt at reassuring their boy that everything was just fine and a little bit of movement from the live creatures was not going to harm either of them, he was disappointed again when John Ross made no attempt to move. The boy was young, still not even a year old, but he walked and seemed to comprehend and communicate his wishes with them in a satisfactory manner, giving JR a higher expectation of his emotional capabilities than were probably believable for his age. If he was scared, he was scared, and his natural response was to seek comfort from the people he trusted to give him that comfort; to break through the barriers his fears were putting up in front of him just wasn't something he would consider doing, because he was so young and dependent. As John Ross' parents, he and Sue Ellen made decisions for him and although his feelings were to be respected, to give up on things just because they seemed scary was no life lesson to be teaching him; they wouldn't put him in danger, so there was really no risk except for a bit of, hopefully temporary, discomfort.

Walking away from the tank and over to John Ross, JR crouched down to his eye level, gently removing his son's hand from Sue Ellen's to demonstrate what he meant, stroking one hand over the other in a slow, smooth motion. "Mama's right, we pat nice and slow, just like you pat Chestnut. If you're nice to the animals they should be nice to you too", speaking in a quiet voice, he was almost surprised with himself at how naturally certain parts of parenting felt; he couldn't remember any event where his father had been so gentle with him but somehow it seemed completely cruel to act any other way. Teaching the lesson that it wasn't right to run away from something because it was uncomfortable didn't have to be taught in a way which essentially transferred the fear of the unknown to the fear of the known. He didn't want John Ross to fear the fish less than he did the punishment for being afraid; he didn't want his son to fear anything except genuinely scary or dangerous things, and even then, only in a measured, appropriate amounts. What he wanted was to be able to calm him down and show him that certain things just weren't that's scary and were in fact fun; it was the ease at which that will and ability flowed through him that surprised him.

"Pat", repeating a very small amount of what he'd just said, JR smiled anyway, because his son seemed to understand the concept of patting and actually wanted to do it, even if it was in relation to the horses on the ranch, not sea creatures. "Yes son, pat. How about you show daddy how nicely you can pat the fish?" not expecting too much after previous refusals to go anywhere near the open tank without making it very clear how unhappy he was, JR hoped anyway that this time was different, after all, he wasn't the kind of man to just give up himself. "That sounds like fun, doesn't it? You can put your hand in the water, just like in the bath at home", raising an eyebrow at Sue Ellen's comparison, JR hoped she wasn't confusing the poor boy with memories of something completely different to petting animals, though when John Ross threw his hands in the air and back down again, he had to smile. Seeing his son excited about something was progress, even if it was splashing the water rather than the opportunity to admire and play with sea creatures he had probably only ever seen drawings of in those mind-numbing little books that he seemed to enjoy so much.

Scooping John Ross up off the floor, he was relieved and felt almost confident when the boy didn't fight him as they made their way toward the open tank where guests were welcome to feed or just touch the fish, and his hope and confidence grew when John Ross inquisitively splashed at the top of the water. Turning for just a second to grin at Sue Ellen, his grin disappeared in an instant at the sound of his son's wailing and shrieking, and turning his attention straight back to John Ross, he made sure to hold him tightly as they hurried away from the tank. As an adult, he had enjoyed what the aquarium had to offer more than he had expected to, he particularly liked the simple nature of the predatory animals and the food chain; as a parent though, it was proving to be a nightmare experience, in more ways than one.

Retreating to a relatively empty corner, he was relieved to hand the inconsolable child over to Sue Ellen, not because he necessarily wanted to relinquish responsibility of his son, but because he needed a few seconds to calm down himself. He had had a bit of a shock of his own over at the tank, he hadn't been expecting such a spirited response and his heart was beating surprisingly fast, especially knowing that there had been no real danger present. For a man who dealt with stressful, important situations every day and was no stranger to causing emotional outbursts in even the most controlled men, he could honestly say that the shock and pain his son's behaviour caused him was probably far more likely to trigger a heart attack than anything that happened at the office. He was a good father, he was able to calm his son in situations where Sue Ellen had tried for hours without success, in this case, it was the other way around, Sue Ellen seemed to have the magic touch and he was so glad, because he wasn't ready to keel over just yet, and certainly not from run-of-the-mill parenting.

"I think he's just too young to understand and enjoy everything here. The small colourful fish are just about the only thing he liked. I think I managed to get a lovely picture of you holding him before his hand made contact with the stingray though; that's what got him, I don't think he liked the texture or the speed". Nodding as Sue Ellen spoke, JR admired how quickly and easily she had taken their son into a protective and comforting position, holding him close to her and soothing him while also managing to not completely block out the world surrounding them. For two people who hadn't had great parenting examples, he thought they were actually doing quite well, despite making errors in judgement like taking their almost ten month old son to an aquarium in the first place. "I think you're right; he'll probably enjoy it more when he's older. We might need to buy him a book first too, one with real pictures, or at least lifelike drawings, none of those smiling cartoon animals". Hearing Sue Ellen laugh at his comment, he relaxed, even though he had meant what he said; at least they both agreed that their day trip had been far from successful, but that didn't mean it was the end of the world, it was an experience nonetheless and they could easily return at a later date.

"I don't know about you, but I've worked up an appetite. What do you say we take a breather from this place and go to lunch?" Keen to leave the aquarium behind now that they had agreed to postpone any further exploration until John Ross was old enough to properly understand and enjoy it, it was his turn to laugh when Sue Ellen nodded and muttered something about it being a good plan, as long as he didn't want to order fish. "Darlin', when have you ever known me to order fish when steak's on the menu?" grinning as he jokingly responded, he enjoyed the raised eyebrow and accepting look she gave him, it told him that they were comfortable with each other, exactly how he liked it, and that was how he intended to keep things, light, fun, and relaxed.

To be continued…