Weird Old Guy Seeks to Impress Four Year-Old

Saturday we had our friends John and Flo and their kid Nat over for dinner, and Nat being the sort of four year old he is, pretty soon he's located a drum and a harmonica and he and John are serenading us with I've Been Working on the Railroad. Nat's keeping perfect time on the drum while he sings. He knows all the verses.

By this time I'm shamed into trying to play the banjo that's basically been a wall ornament since my four-year-olds started walking. I picked up the banjo shortly after the girls were born. For some reason that struck me as a good time to learn a new instrument. I never really got much past the I suck phase.

So there I am, trying to pick out You Are My Sunshine, which I used to sort of know. And Nat's looking at me patiently as I repeatedly blow this simple tune, and he says, "Play something else," and I say, "I don't know any other songs." And little Nat looks at me in complete disbelief. Like he can't really comprehend that any adult is actually this lame.

Tonight I got the thing down again. I remembered how to do You Are My Sunshine. Twins A&B asked for Twinkle, Twinkle and Itsy Bitsy Spider, so I figured those out too, and in less than an hour I had a little minute-and-a half-medley happening and had regained my self respect.

This one's for you Nat.