Good times always seem to fly by, and the rare family day over the weekend was no exception. By the time the chubby kid finally woke up hungry, stumbled off his beach chair, and raced toward the barbecue, only to be ambushed and "ceremonially" drunk under the table by Ivan and his crew, the relaxed barbecue had reached its chaotic climax.
Meanwhile, little Onona, already stuffed with fruit courtesy of her two "sisters," Alexis and Ramsey, didn't care one bit about the antics of the adults. After finishing her meal, she finally released the massive, furry dog she had been clutching all day and turned her attention to a new project: building a sandcastle with Castle and John.
For all of John's fearsome reputation in the assassin world, Castle left him in the dust when it came to entertaining kids. With just a bucket and two shovels, Castle had already crafted an impressive sandcastle, complete with spires and walls. Onona, Alexis, and Ramsey were thrilled, clustering around him as if he were a magician. Poor John, however, was left on the sidelines, enduring Gianna's teasing about his utter lack of sand-sculpting skills.
Onona couldn't have been happier. Her godfather's estate had everything: a doting Alexis to cater to her every whim and a godfather who could build magical castles in the sand. She followed Castle around the beach like a tiny shadow, her little legs moving as fast as they could.
The consequence of all this fun was that, by 4 p.m., the seemingly tireless Onona had completely burned through her reserves of energy. She collapsed into her mother's arms, fast asleep.
Watching this, John had a revelation: he'd been doing it all wrong.
All this time, he and Gianna had been overly cautious, constantly worried about every little bump or fall. But seeing Castle's "sinister" approach to parenting—wearing kids out with activity until they had no energy left—had been eye-opening.
John quickly shared his new insight with Gianna. "If we just keep her busy enough during the day, we might actually get some sleep at night!"
Castle, meanwhile, was basking in Beckett's praise. After witnessing his effortless parenting skills that afternoon, Beckett was now convinced that his claims of raising Alexis on his own were entirely true. Watching him manage one little girl and two young women at the same time, she couldn't help but admire how naturally it all came to him.
The experience strengthened Beckett's confidence about having children of her own. If Castle could handle this, then so could she.
The idyllic day eventually came to an end, with Onona finally resting peacefully and everyone else winding down. The only one who didn't seem to enjoy himself was the chubby kid, who woke up from his nap only to get drunk and pass out again.
Monday morning rolled around, and after Beckett left for work, Castle took his time heading over to John and Gianna's estate. He had promised Gianna that they would discuss the growing media storm surrounding Duhoviche.
In true Castle fashion, he had already postponed a trip to Hughes to follow up on his satellite project. Though he had initially been fired up about the Duhoviche situation, his usual laziness had set in. After all, rushing Hughes wouldn't make the satellites arrive any faster.
When Castle arrived at the estate, he bypassed the main house and wandered over to the back. There, he spotted Gianna's butler overseeing a crew of workers dismantling the indoor shooting range.
"Ah," Castle thought with a chuckle, "so Gianna's really going through with the castle idea for Onona."
Shaking his head, he marveled at how motherhood had transformed Gianna. While she still carried herself like the queen of the underworld in public, she was a devoted mother at home. Seeing her make such drastic changes for her daughter—even dismantling a shooting range built for John—showed just how much she loved the little girl.
Of course, John wasn't complaining. Faced with the combined power of his wife and daughter, even the legendary assassin could only surrender.
Amused by the thought, Castle made his way inside, only to be immediately greeted by the sound of tiny footsteps.
Onona, who had been playing with a giant plush toy John had bought her the day before, dropped it the moment she saw her godfather. Her little legs carried her across the room at an impressive speed, her unsteady gait making her look like a waddling penguin.
"Godfather!" she called out in her still-unclear baby voice, reaching for Castle.
Castle crouched down just in time to catch her, scooping her up into his arms. Holding the delighted little girl, he turned to John, who was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. "Looks like those poor dogs of yours might finally get a break, huh?"
John, who had bought an entire collection of plush toys in an effort to divert Onona's attention from their dogs, shrugged and smiled wryly. Before he could respond, Gianna's voice called out from the staircase.
"Rick, John told me about your 'secret weapon' for handling kids—wearing them out during the day so they sleep soundly at night. We tried it yesterday, and it worked like a charm!
"She slept straight through the night. Not even a peep for milk or a diaper change. Thanks, Rick!"
Castle almost burst out laughing. "Wait a minute," he thought, "you're telling me these two have been parents for over a year and never figured this out?"
His guess was spot on. As first-time parents determined to raise their daughter themselves, John and Gianna had followed every bit of advice from parenting experts. But their inexperience had left them overly cautious. They had never considered simply tiring their daughter out to manage her boundless energy.
Castle grinned at Gianna and John. "You two love her so much that you're overthinking it. You've been walking on eggshells and making it harder for yourselves. She's not as fragile as you think."
To illustrate his point, he held Onona up slightly, letting her wave her arms at her parents. "Take her learning to walk, for example. You're so worried about her falling that you're holding her back. But the truth is, she's short and her center of gravity is low. Even if she falls, she's not going to hurt herself.
"If you let her figure out on her own that running too fast can make her fall, she'll learn to slow down. That's how kids grow. The problem isn't her—it's that you're being too overprotective."
John looked thoughtful, but Gianna, ever quick on the uptake, immediately understood. "So what you're saying, Rick, is that we need to let go a little. We need to let her explore the world on her own terms, like a normal kid?"
Castle nodded. "Exactly. Stop trying to micromanage every little thing. She's going to stumble, make messes, and get into trouble—that's all part of growing up. The best thing you can do is let her figure things out for herself while staying nearby to keep her safe."
Gianna and John exchanged a glance, both processing Castle's advice.
Meanwhile, Onona, blissfully unaware of the adult conversation, clung to her godfather, giggling as he gently tickled her.
"See?" Castle said, smiling down at the little girl. "She's tougher than you think. And trust me, with parents like you two, she's going to grow up to be one amazing kid."
Gianna chuckled and nodded. "Alright, Rick. You've convinced me. Time to give this 'rough and tumble' parenting approach a try."
John, still staring at his daughter with a soft smile, raised his beer to Castle. "Thanks, Rick. Guess we've got a lot to learn from you after all."
Castle grinned. "Glad to help. Just remember—she's a kid, not a porcelain doll. Let her get a little messy, and you'll all be happier for it."
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