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The Snowball fight

Dad Bot 3000 Winter Mode

By Brian PehrsonPublished 2 years ago 7 min read
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One of my favorite things to do in winter is to make unforgettable memories with my children. Big Brother Bot and I went ice fishing, his first time too. Medium Brother Bot and I routinely threw snowballs and pulled each other on the sled, more me pulling than him. And making epic snow forests whenever we could. (Un)fortunately, now, my wife and I are down to one child at home, so I should try to go big, right? Make those winter memories the most fantastic thing ever to happen. Let’s dive into one story full of fun times, freezing bodies, and snowballs.

Dad Bot 3000 loading winter fun.exe.

Dad Bot 3000 insulating core components.

Dad Bot 3000 running winter matrix-low risk.

This is going to be great! We got a minor winter storm the other night and have about 6 inches of snow ready for everything and anything my Mini Bot can dream up. And boy does she have an imagination. I wish I could have taken a picture of her face when she woke up and saw the snow. Just imagine your child’s face when they see that first snow of the winter. That pure innocents and joy all children have when they see snow. Now for my Mini Bot, add in copious amounts of pure excitement.

It all started at breakfast that day. We were sitting around drinking our coffee (not her) and eating scrambled eggs with bacon. She was nearly monologuing what she wanted to do and where to build her fort and how many snowballs she would hit me with. It was adorable.

Breakfast is made, the list is made. Time to start the fun! We headed downstairs into the basement, which is cold enough to hang meat in, I think. Although heated and cooled by the central heat and air, that room stays about 52 degrees when snowing outside. Down there, we bundled up in our winter clothes.

Dad Bot 300 installing winter protective clothing on Mini Bot…. Installation complete.

Dad Bot 300 installing winter gloves, jacket, and combat boots…installation complete.

All bundled up! Time to remind Mini Bot about the snow safety and rules set by Dad and Mom Bot:

THE RULES

1. No playing in snowbanks on or near the road.

2. No playing in the snow that is colored yellow or brown/black.

3. Watch out for Ice.

4. No putting snow inside someone’s jacket/hat on purpose.

5. If you can’t feel your toes or fingers, you should have told me five minutes ago.

6. Most importantly. No snowballs to the face.

Mini Bot processing the rules…. searching for loopholes…. loopholes found!

Dad Bot 300 processing the rules……searching for loopholes…. loopholes found!

The garage door opened with a louder than usual squeaking of cold metal to reveal a wonderful white sea of fun and possibilities! Mom Bot kindly reminded Dad Bot of a task to complete. Shovel the driveway. Too easy!

Dad Bot 3000 initiating shoveling protocol Omega

While Dad Bot 3000 completed the shoveling protocol, Mini Bot was gleefully jumping in and playing in the snow. She had started planning where her epic fort tunnel would be and created at least…. six mini snow angels. Too cute. Mini Bot even told me about some areas of yellow snow from our dog while she laughed at how it melted when he peed. But, unfortunately, it seems we have not lived in the north long enough.

Then children’s laughter and playing noises came from across the street. Like a magically and gleeful call to play that resonated for blocks around. The laughter and joyful voices just bounced and echoed everywhere. Once Mini Bot heard these sounds, she spun around and yelled that her friends were out and wanted to play.

Lucky for her Dad Bot had just finished the shoveling protocol and agreed to go to the playground with her to keep an eye out.

Dad Bot was not too far behind when Mini Bot rounded the corner. But when I rounded the corner of a fence, all I saw was Mini Bot’s feet straight up in the air, her hands bracing herself for the impact of the snow.

Yup, she found the one patch of ice under the snow.

She landed with a soft, muffled thud immediately stuck her gloved hand up with her thumb pointed upward. “I’m ok!”

Mini Bot broke rule 3.

Dad Bot 3000 reassessing snow safety matrix-medium risk.

From here on out with the other kids, Mini Bot played wonderfully. She ran around having snowball fights, sliding on her back and belly down a hill and racing in the snow, and seeing who could make the best snow angel. It will always be a fantastic memory for me to watch her play in the snow; I think Mini Bot will cherish it just as much.

This went on for about 20 minutes. At this point, Dad Bot was a little cold. I had lost the feeling in my fingers a solid ten minutes ago as my insulting winter gloves, well, are not too good anymore.

Dad Bot 3000 broke rule 5.

Not too bad; just two rules are broken. Successful day. We walked back to the house, talking about how awesome it was and how much fun Mini Bot had. Although I know she saw me there the entire time, she still told me about the fun things she did with her friends like I was not there. It was amazing to see how happy that made her.

When we got back to our yard, I was almost to the garage when I heard Mini Bot say, “Daddy…. we did not have a snowball fight yet, though. That is the last thing on my list.”

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard her voice. I knew this meant a lot to her. I could not feel my fingers, though. So the responsible thing to do was to go inside and get warm at this point.

Dad Bot 3000 shutting down logic matrix….

Dad Bot 3000 loading snowballfight.exe

Dad Bot 3000 initiating aiming module….

I turned around and said, “Let’s do this Mini Bot!” Just in time to see the most yellow of snowballs possible flying at me! I twisted to the side and narrowly avoided being hit with that nasty pee ball.

Mini Bot broke rule 2…. Game on.

Luckily Dad Bot 3000 learned from the movie “dodgeball” I quickly implemented the teachings of Patches O Houlihan:

Dad Bot 3000 initiating Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and Dodge protocol…

I started making a pile of snowballs while Mini Bot did the same on her side of the battlefield. The fight was glorious! Snowballs were flying everywhere, resulting in a few hits and many near misses. I quickly dodged and threw a snowball at Mini Bot at the end of the fight. Mini Bot dove to the side and landed face down, the perfect target for Dad Bot. She is prone and completely defenseless. I can end this fight here and now. I quickly launched my last two snowballs at her while she was down. Dad Bot did not calculate her ability to move quickly, though.

Mini Bot sprang up, and the last second and the first snowball smacked here right in the face. It exploded into a billion little snowflakes; Mini Bots’ arms went out in shock while Mini Bot was processing what had happened.

Dad Bot broke rule 6….

Within a millisecond, the second snowball landed in her hood, which had fallen off during the dive. The snowball shattered into a million little snowflakes inside her hood and went down her back. The snow had somehow snuck past her suspended winter pants.

Dad Bot broke rule 4….

Dad Bot froze in shock, fear, and concern for Mini Bot. I started to go towards her, and she wiped everything off her face and jacket. I was concerned; I was worried for my Mini Bot. I was worried she would tell Mom Bot. As I got close enough, her face turned from shock and sadness to a face that seemed to convey, “HA! You fell for my trick! I have you right where I want you!”

My Mini Bot tricked me!

She launched her final attack on me, tackling me to the ground and shoving snow in my face! Luckily it was white snow.

Dad and Mini Bot lay there in the snow laughing about what had happened. Then, finally, we ensured we were both ok and went inside to get warm. By the time we had removed our winter clothes, it had looked like we had brought the snow I shoveled inside!

So, what’s the point of all this except for maybe a good story and hopefully a few laughs? Well, maybe, just maybe, this will inspire you out there to continue to make those winter memories with your Mini Bots. They will remember and cherish them forever. Like I do with Grandpa and Grandma Bot. So many unforgettable memories of ice fishing, snowball fights, cross country skiing, and snow forts. If you read this, make those memories even if you are tired or busy at work. It only takes a few minutes. Be better for your own Mini Bots.

Dad Bot 3000 logging off…

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About the Creator

Brian Pehrson

I am a 38 year old retired Army Military Police Officer. I am married to my absolute best friend and the most amazing, supportive and intelligent woman I know. We have three children and currently live in Virginia.

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