Remember that time when you were about 2 and 1/2 years old, Bug? And you, Doodle, were about 5 months old...and Mama let you stand out in a torrential downpour so we could watch rubber ducks float down a creek? That was pretty awesome, wasn't it!
Hopefully, my girls' answer will be "Yes, Mom, you gave us fun opportunities even in unusual circumstances and we're grateful for them!" One can certainly dream, right?
Yesterday was the Great Rubber Duckie Race in Lancaster (about 40 minutes from us). It's one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for Schreiber Pediatric, a rehabilitation center that does amazing things for developmentally and physically disabled or delayed children within the community (PT, OT, speech therapy, etc.). Basically they have food, games, prizes, and 25,000 rubber duckies. Yes, you read that right. People can "buy" duckies (you're given a slip with your duck's number on it and a souvenir duck, prizes are awarded for the first 10 ducks that cross, etc.) and then 25,000 ducks are dropped out of a large box and float a set distance down the creek. It really was great fun to watch thousands of blue, pink, and yellow ducks float downstream, but in the process we got caught in a torrential downpour. My sister, her boyfriend's sister-in-law, and myself had taken the three little girls to go find a good place to watch the ducks while the 3 guys stood in line for funnel cakes. It started to pour soon after we'd found our spot. My knight of a husband comes running down in the downpour to make sure we were okay with the kids, my sister's boyfriend's brother stands in the rain to get the other 2 funnel cakes, makes sure they're wrapped in foil (after all, who likes a soggy funnel cake?) and runs down as well. And my sister's boyfriend? Well, he ate his funnel cake in the dry pavillion and then came to join us:) Don't get me wrong, we all love him, but he won't be living that down any time soon...especially not since the 3 little ones ages 2 and 1/2, 1, and 5 months were dripping and the rest of us look like drowned rats!
So while I might not be getting the Mother of the Year Award for letting Bug and Doodle stand out in the rain, hopefully I've created memories for my girls. Bug? She never fussed about being drippy. Instead she just asked to ride a pony when the rain stopped. And Doodle? She just downed her bottle while blinking the raindrops off of her cute little eyelashes.
I think every kid should play in the rain at least once in their lifetime! Our boys do so regularly here (so glad I don't have to do the laundry, though!) and it's one of their favorite things. They get SO excited when they hear the distant thunder and see the gray clouds. Who said a rainy day had to be a bad thing? :) Of course, our Burkinabe neighbors all think we're crazy... -- Flo
ReplyDelete