On the importance of flexibility when traveling with kids

Remember my sage advice about having a plan? I hope that I did a good job of stressing the importance of being flexible. Or at least of not being a crabby pants, which is really the only way I could be described today. We went to Look Park, a lovely place with a water play area, playground, small train, menagerie, bumper boats, and a mini-golf course. I had mapped out our day here, starting with the water park, which was the first thing open. We arrived, parked, changed the boys into their bathing suits (which were wet from their morning swim at the hotel) and set them off into the geysers. These changed size and strength and sprayed at uneven intervals and they seemed perfectly cool and fun to me. The children did a few halfhearted loops through the various sprays and jets and then Teddy came over, “I want to go on the train.” After he was sent back into the water, Tommy appeared, “I can’t wait to play on the playground.” We told him to take another spin. There was Teddy again, “I want to go on the train.” Then Tommy, “I can’t wait to go on the bumper boats.” “When can we go on the train?” “I’d like to go back swimming at the hotel.” “The train! The train!” This continued until finally I gave up and changed them back into their civvies, bundling them grumpily off to the playground.

If you must know, I wasn’t feeling irritated because they didn’t want to do things in the order I had chosen (not too much anyway) or because they didn’t like what I had chosen to do (well, maybe only a little). No, my irritation was much more reasonable: I was annoyed that they were only able to look forward to other things, not to enjoy what they were doing. Which, since it wasn’t enjoyable to them isn’t really all that surprising. But for some reason it got me riled up.

Oh, and I also forgot my camera, so no photos. Not that there would be many.

After this bumpy beginning it all settled down of course. We got on the train and Matt insisted on being in a good humor and kept making stupid jokes until I had to relent. “Oh look,” he said as we rode past a small, gentle, grass-lined stream, “there’s the reedy rapids.” When he got only a groan from Tommy as a response, he continued, “Do you think that the reedy rapids were enjoyed by rapid readers who read books in red wrappers?” By now I was smiling at his ability to just keep on talking about anything, just to make sure that I didn’t ruin the day. And the day wasn’t ruined. We play 18 holes of mini golf, despite Teddy’s refusal to participate and his tendency to stand in the way of the ball. This was followed by a long ride on the bumper boats, large inner tubes with small outboard motors manned by two bored teenagers. Since it was only us and one other boat on the pond, there wasn’t too much bumping going on, but the kids didn’t seem to mind.

We all had a nap this afternoon and then another long dip in the pool during the course of which Teddy decided that the pool was full of little baby chicks (over one hundred of them) who were having a party and eating watermelon cake and receiving gifts of special Valentines. The chicks followed us out of the hotel and up to the top of the nearby Mount Tom in little red, yellow, and purple cars. This was a very exciting development that involved much talking in declarative sentences and much peeping.

For some reason we found it necessary to climb the lookout tower at the top of the mountain, not the smartest parenting move we’ve ever made. (Did you see those backless steps in the photo? And yes, it’s just as steep as it looks). Tommy refused Matt’s entreaties to pose for a picture at the bottom with his body prone as if he had just fallen.