I finally saw Aiden!

I finally got to see Aiden today, the first time his mother has allowed me to see him since I arrived in California on Tuesday, November 22 (FIVE days ago). She only allowed me a three-hour visit, far less than I had hoped for, considering that when I was in California in late October through November 11, I had ten four- to five-hours visits. 

Nonetheless, I had a wonderful time, and Aiden did too. He was literally jumping up and down with joy when he first saw me.  We visited the Colorado lagoon, saw the Terminal Island drawbridge go up to let a big ship pass, and even stopped at a store so I could replace the watch Aiden lost on his last visit with me. (He chose a Lego Ninja watch!)

When we stopped to get dinner, I was mindful of Aiden's mother's warnings about Aiden's overeating, and only allowed Aiden to eat a single small fish taco, as Aiden's mother had suggested at the beginning of the visit. Aiden asked for snacks throughout the remainder of the visit, but I (reluctantly) had to tell him, "No, your mom doesn't want you to eat any more." I have to say that it's really hard to listen to your child say "I'm hungry!" over and over again and yet only be allowed to feed him a small amount of food.

I'm thrilled to here in California, so that I can see Aiden regularly. That's why I returned: to spend time with my little boy, who needs his dad in his life. I want to be there to read him stories and tuck him into bed; I want to help him with his homework and go to Open House night at his school; I want to take him hiking and show him the flowers and animals in the woods that he can't see around his urban condominium home.

But first, Aiden's mom has to let go a little bit and let me be a dad to Aiden. She has to agree to let me see him for more than a few hours at a time, for overnights and weekends. And so far, she has not been willing to do that--despite the long series of visits earlier this month. When I told Aiden that I had been in California since Tuesday, he understood enough to ask me why I hadn't seen him. I told him the truth: because his mother wouldn't let me see him. Not even for a couple of hours after school during this past week, when I was not working and Aiden was being watched by a babysitter. And that is truly sad, for me but especially for Aiden.