Trash Boy

Lukas loves to help me take the trash out on Mondays. It has become one of our father-son bonding experiences. We start by taking the baskets from inside the house to the cans on the side of the house. He knows that the brown can is for green waste, the black is for trash and the green for recyclables. He is not tall enough to dump the baskets while looking inside the can, which is necessary in his mind for the full taking out the trash experience. So I pick Lukas up and let him empty the baskets in the trash. He then inspects the baskets to make sure that everything went into the cans. There is no escape for the Band-Aid or wad of hair trying to avoid the trash can. Then we get to wheel the cans out to the street. I have to be on my toes during this phase because the cans are so heavy, and Lukas does not have a concept of what one of the wheels running over his foot would do. Lukas insists on either pushing from behind or grabbing the handle from the front while we roll the can out onto the driveway. As we near the street, depending on his position, he drops back or peels off to the side and yells “Bye bye trash can”. Maintaining my dignity, I say with a deep voice, “bye bye Lukas”. Lukas’ response is always, “The trash can said goodbye to me”.