I'm going to look back years from now on my musings from our family vacation and think, either: a. I am the world's biggest pessimist and only have negative things to say about our trip; or, b. I am the world's biggest optimist and that despite an absurd amount of challenge and resistance from the kids we heroically keep trying. And that is the theme of this vacation: despite an inconceivable amount of difficulty involved in keeping five self-absorbed, tired, emotional, and cranky kids happy, Aaron and I kept trying. Points to us for trying.
We were recently invited to join our cousins on a trip to the Salt Lake Vity zoo. Ordinarily, I would have jumped at the opportunity to take the kids on a mini-adventure. This time, I didn't even hesitate to turn down the offer. After our day at the San Diego zoo, it's going to be a long time before I feel like going back to the zoo.
1. It was hot. Muggy, sweaty-hair-stick-to-your-neck hot.
2. Who's idea was it to build the zoo on a hill, anyways? No matter what direction you go, it's always uphill. When you're carrying a 35lb toddler or pushing a 50lb kid in a stroller, the hills become cumbersome real quick.
3. Whether it be crowds, the animals too lethargic to move about, or poor visibility within the habitat, inevitably the animals are all 100 yards away and asleep.
And yet, we kept trying. We passed around fruit snacks and water bottles to keep spirits up. We piggy-backed and gave rides on our shoulders--we even paid Hank a dollar to help push the stroller! I hope when we look back on our visit to San Diego, the kids never remember all the hard work behind the scenes that went into the outing, they just remember the day spent strolling the park and visiting animals.
No comments:
Post a Comment