Fix it

I like fixing things around the house, and take the ‘Mr. Fixit’ title given to me by my wife as a compliment. My wife has let my daughter know that daddy does most of the fixing around the house.

So whether its some hair clip teddy bear that needs a little super glue, or a book that talks, that needs a battery change, my wife would probably tell my daughter that, “We’ll need to ask papa to fix it.”

Recently though, a musical toy that had stopped working, took a fall, and miraculously hit the right spot so that it started working again. Since this wasn’t a battery change issue, it was something more technical, I wasn’t able to fix it. Now that this magically started working, my daughter assumed that since I’m the fix-it-all, that I had fixed it.

Here’s the scene. I don’t know about the miracle yet. My wife is feeding my daughter, and my daughter is playing with the toy in question. I still don’t realize that this wasn’t working before. My daughter looks at me and says, “Thank you papa for fixing it”.

What could I do? Doesn’t every father want to be the super hero? I’ll protect you, I’ll provide for you, and yes, I’ll fix it. Whatever it is.

It took me a couple of days to tell her that I didn’t fix it. It took a small accident for me to realize that I can’t fix everything. It’s one of the most painful realizations I’ve had yet.

On a lighter note, I now have my answer to, “if you could have one super-power, what would it be?”