Dependent children

Yesterday I needed to fix the support for the tonneau cover on the Erin Mae, to ensure rainwater drained off it properly, so I'd come equipped with bits of wood and a saw and some old guy rope. It was an awkward, physical task, with the cover very taut and unyielding between its press-studs. Eventually, as the afternoon grew gloomy, I crouched underneath inspecting my jerry-rigged handiwork and thought about some friends for whom a challenge like this might be a source of joy in the doing, not just the completing. Roger on NB Maggie May sprang to mind. If he'd been around, I would probably have asked him for some ideas (and muscle, and time, and well-honed expertise in the way things work). It's funny the things I'll ask help with and the things I won't. Today we were talking about which characteristics of children are good to hold on to, and dependence came up. You want your kids to become independent, but you still love it when, as adults, they come to you for advice – too much independence equals pigheadedness. I wouldn't want to be labelled childish, but I'd settle for being child-like sometimes.

Unfortunately, Roger wasn't there.