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Tuesday, March 04, 2008

The Things We Do For Our Kids

Yesterday my older son (OS) had a swim lesson at 1:15pm. By the time I pick up OS from preschool and we leave the parking lot, it's usually about noon. I figured rather than schlep the kids home, feed them lunch, and then rush to get them back out to the car (which involves dealing with the temper tantrums from both the kids and me), I would just pack lunches to eat at the Y. Not surprisingly the boys were really excited about this. Eating a picnic at a park is okay, but they seemed to think eating a picnic at the hopefully not too dirty tables at the Y was like eating in a 5 star restaurant.

After they finished eating, we had about half an hour before the swim lesson. OS asked if they could use the Y play area. The area has something for both boys. For my younger son (YS), the Y has a toddler slide, mats, puzzles and other toys. For OS, the Y has a toddler slide, mats, puzzles, and other toys. Don't they have anything else, you might ask. Yes, they have one of those indoor structures with tubes and slides that's similar to what they have at McDonald's Play Place that the Y staff always insist can hold a whole bunch of kids. However, OS likes to keep his feet on the ground, and YS is almost a year younger that the minimum age to use the structure. They had a blast playing together! As I told OS that it was time to go, YS ducked behind two little girls and pulled himself up into the giant structure. By the time I sprinted around the girls, YS had disappeared inside. A certain four letter word starting with the letter "s" was going through my mind as I realized I would have to climb in after him.

I crouched down and was able to get through the opening. As long as I resigned myself to keeping my nose to my knees I could make it up the stairs. Then I had to go through one of those big tubes on my belly. I started sweating like crazy, and I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. Despite what the Y staff member had previously told me about the strength of the structure, I felt it trembling...or maybe I was trembling. The staff member wasn't in sight to help or even stand by her warranty.

I still couldn't see YS, but I could the thud thud thud his knees were making as he crawled around, and I could hear his squeals of delight. I finally caught him just before he worked his way up to the top level. He was as happy as a clam. I grabbed him and sat down with him on my lap to get my bearings. I had gone 32 years without realizing that I am claustrophobic. I could hear the little girls tell OS how cool it was that his mom went into the structure. I'm sure their moms probably hate me now. You just know that those girls probably told them about the fun mom who played on the giant structure with her son. I would have gladly switched places and returned to my typical uncool status, particularly since I wasn't sure how to get out of there.

Fortunately the little girls came up the structure, possibly to see what a cool and fun mom looks like. I asked them how to get out. They pointed to this gigantic, fully enclosed black tube slide. It looked much narrower than the tubes YS and I had climbed, and I was concerned about whether I would fit through with YS on my lap. I also remembered from physics class that force equals mass times acceleration, or, as I had demonstrated on many a playground in my own youth, someone who weighs 40 pounds goes down a slide far more slowly and safely than someone who weighs ### pounds more than 40 pounds. I didn't think the slide was a good idea.

There was only one other option: stay in that structure for the rest of our lives go out the way we came. Holding a squawking YS who didn't want to leave, I shimmied backwards on my belly and walked crouched backwards down the stairs to get out. In the process I twisted my pinkie. Completely covered with a fine layer of sweat and breathing hard from claustrophobia attack two, we emerged from the structure. The employee looked up at me (when had she gotten back?!) and gently informed me that YS wasn't old enough to be on the structure. Really?! An employee upstairs asked me if I was OK since I wasn't looking well.

Because every cloud has a silver lining, something good did come out of this. I found a great use for the half bag of sweet potato fries in my freezer that no one likes. It made an excellent ice pack for my finger. Of course my kids had a fabulous time. Now OS wants me to go up with him.

A. Elliot's Learned: We'll walk over hot coals and broken glass and shimmy on our bellies through tight spaces for our kids.

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posted by Alex Elliot @ 5:15 PM   9 comments
9 Comments:

  • At 3/04/2008 11:25 PM, Blogger Heather said…

    I think I felt claustrophobic just reading this. Seriously. That just freaks me right out.

    My son climbed up in one of those things when he had just turned 2, and was still afraid to go down slides. Luckily my daughter was able to show him how to get back down the way he went up. There would have been no way for me to get in there after him the way that one's set up.

    You're a great mom to do that.

     

  • At 3/05/2008 7:28 AM, Blogger Whirlwind said…

    Ughh, I had to climb up one of those at McDonalds once. I really do not like them.

     

  • At 3/05/2008 8:50 AM, Blogger Tracey said…

    There is a family entertainment center that has a huge, HUGE, 3 story high, climbing structure that is for everyone - including parents! Most of it is ok with me, until I see the kids sneezing and then wiping their noses and then putting their slimy hands on the tube ground.... sigh. Life is full of germs. I'm ok with that! It's just gross to SEE the germs being distributed.

    Also, I have a doozy of a story with me in a climbing thing with a newborn. I'll have to post it sometime...

     

  • At 3/05/2008 9:28 AM, Blogger painted maypole said…

    i always wonder how clean it is in those things.

    sweet potato fries?!? yum. although I've never bought them frozen.

     

  • At 3/05/2008 10:30 AM, Blogger Lizzy in the Burbs said…

    Hi!

    You're a brave woman! I don't like being in tight spaces like that either. I guess your mommy powers kicked in! :o)

    Lizzy

     

  • At 3/05/2008 11:14 AM, Blogger Trenches of Mommyhood said…

    Man, I love your stories. Your life is an adventure!

     

  • At 3/05/2008 12:04 PM, Blogger Jen of A2eatwrite said…

    I've done those tubes. Hate them!!! More power to you. ;-)

     

  • At 3/05/2008 1:03 PM, OpenID FishyGirl said…

    I'm really impressed at your restraint that that certain four-letter word only went through your head and not through your lips, which is likely where it would have gone had I been in your position. I always find an older kid to go up after mine when they invariably head up - why do they always make a beeline for those things? Half the time they get halfway up and sit and cry until you come get them.

    The things we do. You rock, Alex.

     

  • At 3/05/2008 2:12 PM, OpenID cablegirl said…

    I have this horrible habit of allowing expletives to escape my lips only when I am unaware that small children are around. I applaud your restraint.

    Of course, the second round of expletives would have been unleashed when the employee told me that my kid was too young. Uh, duh! What the f^*k to you think was on the d^#ned thing for. lol

     
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Name:Alex Elliot
Home:MA, United States
About Me:Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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