Today when I left home for work, my three year old shouted, “Bye Daddy, I love you!” And of course that melts my heart. I offered him a hug, and he paused, then said, “No.”

He bent over, grabbed his toy lightsaber, and held it out. “Lightsaber hugs,” he demanded.

“What? You want me to hug your lightsaber?”

“Yeah.” Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t you hug a lightsaber?

So I did, and as I drove away, I thought about those strange, unexpected moments I’ve experienced with my kids.

My daughter, at about that age, playing with a telephone toy and declaring, “Mommy, I have to make a cone fall!”

My eldest son, leading the effort to dogpile on Daddy, laying straight across my back with his arms at his sides, then going limp, declaring, “Dead fish!” (This was followed by a stack of dead fish when the other kids joined in.)

My middle boy, who would charge into me and then rub his head back and forth while gently punching my stomach… “What are you doing?” I asked. His answer? “I’m bestroying you!”

Nose biting… my infant daughter would smile wide and nom the tip of my nose. For whatever reason, she’d always look off to her right when she did it. This was a habit that somehow carried over to my other children, each of which have bitten my nose.

Punches in the fat… the middle boy loves to push a fist into my stomach every now and then, perhaps as a reminder to work out and eat smarter than I normally do.

Our three year old loves to yell at everyone, proclaiming a rule against flatulence by declaring, “No Peeping!”

The eldest boy discovered he could climb the walls in doorways and hallways like a ninja… fitting since he’s the one who decided that when he grows up he wants to be “a rock scientist… Ooh! Or maybe a ninja!” And now our middle boy has learned the same trick.

So what’s the point of this post?

Basically kids are awesome, but sometimes we have to take a minute to remember it.

What experiences do you have with the ridiculous antics of children? Let me know in a comment, please. I’d love to share in the joy.