Brother's Keeper - Part 2

I was just reading some old blog posts when I came across this gem HERE.

So you clicked that right? You never click the link. Will you just go read it this time? Would it kill you?! It's got pictures of Liam and Finn together when Finn was just a week old. It's amazing, you'll love it! I'll wait.

See! What did I tell you? I know, things have changed a lot in three years and not just the fact that Liam is a man now.

Want me to drive?

He never succeeded in taking his brother's life back then and now he does all he can to keep Finn safe.

Finn's inherited his mother's fearlessness and is something of an adrenaline junkie. He can't afford skydiving yet so he gets his fix by trying to pet stray dogs and running off in the hopes of getting lost or kidnapped.

The other day we were at Badger Park. Badger Park has an enormous fenced-in play structure with a slide consisting entirely of cylindrical rolling bars. If you try hard enough, you can wedge a three-year-old's fingers in between the rollers which is evidently quite painful. Finn has done it three times. Outside of the play structure is a grass area about the size of a football field that is ringed by a path where people walk their bitey dogs. Just beyond all of this is a spooky tree line that hides the swiftly flowing Russian River. This is Finn's favorite park.

Last week Finn managed to open the gate and make a dash for the river. Mind you, I watched him the whole time because I know what I'm doing with him. I just hold back a moment because I like to see if, at any point, he shows some sign, a glimmer, of self-preservation. He never does.

Before I could dash after him, an act he finds endlessly hilarious, I hear Liam behind me shout, "NO FINN!! COME BACK!" I kind of kept a safe distance and let things play out. Liam ran the entire length of the field to grab Finn by the hand and lead him all the way back to the playground, and Finn was compliant. I couldn't have done it any better.

After that we went to the club where Finn went straight for the part of the kiddie pool that's just above his nose and I did my Hasselhoff impression.