Gloves in July

You may look at this picture of my child and wonder, "Why is he wearing gloves in July?" The answer is simple...he is John's child. Nonni bought him a sandbox as an early birthday present. Until today we have been filling the sandbox with water and using it as a baby pool....LOVED IT! However, with time limited and the cost of swim diapers on the rise, we figured it was well worth our while to add the play sand and let 'er rip. He was initially thrilled to see his new mini-Sahara, but was instantly crooked faced as soon as he stepped in. He immediately ran to the back door to the house screaming "HANDS!!" Thinking he wanted to wash his hands I opened the door and headed to the sink. I followed him curiously as he ran past the kitchen and headed straight for the stairs. Up he went and into his room...all the while screaming "HANDS!!" He stopped at the base of his dresser, reaching above his head to the top. Puzzled, I started guessing what he wanted...socks? shoes? music? juice? diaper change? I couldn't imagine what he was after. I opened the top drawer of his dresser and peered inside..."what on Earth is he asking for?" Then I saw them....last winter's gloves. I held them up, "Is this what you want, Buddy?" "K," he said. After equipping him with his PPE (medical term for Personal Protective Equipment), he ran enthusiastically back to the sandbox and began playing. He was truly content once his hands were covered. He stopped only occasionally to look up at me and smile, "Yucky" he would say. Yes, Jack....it's yucky, but luckily we have gloves and hand sanitizer. Again, John's child. This is how I felt.