I'm bored - two words I'm picking most parents will be sick of hearing by the end of these holidays. It seems to be exacerbated with the wet weather we've been having these past couple of days.
But before you start marking the days off the calendar counting down thedays the little ones head back to school, spare a thought for this old codger whose children have outgrown the "hanging with the old man buzz" and now prefer to spend time with their mates or on their electronic equipment.
Yes, this dad has been replaced by Facebook, Twitter or shopping at the mall.
I used to look forward to the holidays, writing out a list of movies to watch and different events I could take the kids to. Then off to McDonald's drive-thru for a Happy Meal to eat while playing at the local park.
Sure there were times at home, when they'd get bored and come running to dad for guidance on what can be done when it's raining or to be adjudicator for the battle over a toy.
But things started to change about 18 months ago. All of a sudden, the kids were saying "nah, Dad, that's a dumb movie" or "I don't feel like going".
Time goes so fast, before you know it, your kids have found out that hanging with their parents isn't cool. Now it appears all I've become is the glorified taxi driver. Still, I wouldn't change anything.
Spending time with the children during their holidays gave me plenty of great memories.
Here in the Bay there are plenty of things to do to build lasting memories with the kids. One thing that comes to mind is the Ranfurly Shield challenge tomorrow night against Wellington.
