It is easy to get caught up in life. Being a single parent is such a hard job yet at the same time a job that any of us would never give up. We all have had that middle of the night wake up, where either our kid can't sleep or they are sick. So we do what we can and we comfort our kids. Sure the next day we are tired and yawning all day and we put up with our co-workers or friend's stupid jokes about "well you must have been up late wink wink" Yeah, it is called having kids! So between all that, making school lunches, checking to see if they really brushed their teeth by seeing if they have figured out the trick of wetting the toothbrush, and many other parental duties we still have to work. In my case I also have papers to write for school. Sometimes we feel like we are being pulled in 20 different directions and we need to take a break and put it all to the side. Today was one of those days for me and the kids. I woke up and hit the snooze alarm on my phone and as I lay there I started wondering what to do today. First thing: check the weather, no rain, so we have a green light for outdoor activity which is nice since it is spring like weather in June still. We had talked about going to the zoo and my mom originally was going to go with but couldn't afterall, but I had already told the kids that we were going to the zoo. This basically meant that either we still go to the zoo or I have to come up with something quick that is better than the zoo. I started thinking. There are 4 zoos all within an hour or hour and a half of home. Do I head west to Rock Island? What about south to Bloomington? Both of those zoos are nice but very small and once you are done there you are stuck in the middle of nowhere so I decided to scratch those off the list. So I got up and figured let's head to Chicago because there is always plenty to do, there are two zoos to chose from and we like going up there. Who doesn't like going into the heart of Chicago where you can people watch, hear free music in the park, and drive by that hideously ugly stadium where the Bears now play. So we hit the road with no time table, no schedule, and no place to really be. These are the days that I know I remember because of the memories we make. It is great to take the kids into the city because they see so much there that they can't see at home. We watched an amazing girl playing the violin outside of the Art Institute, a guy wearing a Superman cape for no reason at all, and a tattooed pale goth guy who made Marylin Manson look like a Sunday school teacher. Madison saw a man laying in the grass sleeping and asked me if he was homeless......so I taught her to pay attention to detail by pointing out his fancy shoes and his Starbucks coffee, letting her know that just because someone is snoozing in the grass it doesn't mean that they have to be. It is fun to watch her little wheels turn in her head and for her to start to understand that individuality is a good thing and that being comfortable doing what you like is the way to be. Once we left the Silver Bean we got to see the Chicago staple, the little black kid playing the upside down bucket. That kid was amazing had attracted quite the crowd. Then we made it to Buckingham Fountain where the lesson of why there is a rainbow by the fountain occurred and made this dad feel smart! As I stood there watching my kids take everything in I wondered if in twenty years they would be standing where I was watching their own children and if I was starting something that they would do with their children to show them the world. It has always been important to me to show the kids different things and take them different place. We have sat on the dock in South Beach Miami watching a storm roll in. We have seen Canada as we stood in awe of Niagra Falls. We've seen Mexico and a storm ravaged South Padre Island in Texas. They've already seen more and been to more states than many people.
So today was about just going out there and doing whatever we wanted. Sometimes it is hard doing all this alone simply because I spend the whole day being who they need me to be but who do I turn to when I need days like this for me, so I can keep it together and keep moving ahead? I know that day is coming where I'll be able to have adult conversations while walking through the zoo.....not that I don't enjoy the level they are now but I need that balance. I don't want to be the only "adult" acting goofy and getting funny looks from people as we pass them, it would be nice to have that partner in crime. So basically I guess the whole point of writing this is just to emphasize that more people need to have these types of days. Do I think that paying $25 to park for an hour is highway robbery???? You bet it is but I can tell you this much, the smiles and laughter that I heard and saw in that hour was worth so much more than what I paid to park. A month from now where our trip today randomly comes up in conversation I will know that we permanently made some great memories that last. And maybe someday Madison and Kobe we finally realize why I take so many pictures and make them act like they like each other in them as they put their own kids through the same thing. Nothing bonds family together like days like today. And if you want your little flowers to grow up strong and beautiful you have to nurture them every chance you get.
No comments:
Post a Comment