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Slippin' and Sliding

Throw Yourself Into Summer Fun

By John Nixon

I move toward the house and my oldest asks, with a look of sadness, "Where are you going, Dad?" I reply, "Hang on, I've got an idea." Now, if you ask anyone who knows me, when I say "I have an idea," usually nothing good can come of it. But that's silly. I have great ideas. (Like the time I thought it would be great to use a pressure washer on the side of the house while I stood on the roof with some old, worn sneakers. Did you know that pressure washers have a lot of force? Trust me, they do. Get a scaffold if you want to pressure wash the side of your house.) But I digress.

This idea was great. So into the kitchen I went to find the one item that would allow me to provide my oldest both distance and speed. Yes. Dish soap. And not your average dish soap – this one had a spring fragrance.

I rushed outside and began to liberally apply the amber gel of joy to the slide. Nothing seemed to change, but time would tell if this great idea would work.

Now my oldest has learned a thing or two living with his Dad, so the wry smile on his face told me that the twinkle I had in my eye was now in his. He told me to get back, this one he wanted to try running on his own. (Lower back spared!)

He backed up about four feet. I held up my hand. "Stop, you need to back up more." He backed up. Nope. I told him more. Nope, still more. So he backed up all the way to the house. Now the stage was set. Five yards of glorious running and then the launch pad. A hush fell over the crowd (or was that just the voices in my head waiting in quiet expectation, just as I was?).

Want to see more?

• Summer Parties: Best Birthday Bets
  for Your Little One
• The Ice Cream Man Cometh: Summer Comfort From a Musical Truck
• Sunny Day Surprises: 5 Tips for a Connected Family Summer
• Join the discussion on our Family.com community!

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