Are We Having Fun Yet?
While driving home from Easter brunch my husband said, “Well that was fun.” Was it? Let’s go back.
It took me two kids to recognize this simple fact: your expectations of big events, on a scale of 1 to 10, should only be as high as your oldest child can count (currently Charlotte can get to two). The idea of fun and what we consider a good time completely shifts when you become a parent. If you are expecting Freshmen year in the dorms kind of fun, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble.
Every year we celebrate Easter at the Sutter Club with our family and it is formal, delicious and wonderful. Two years ago we brought Charlotte when she was around two months as our first major outing and it took every ounce of energy we had to get her there. Now with two, we have it down to a finely tuned art form. But as with any big events it can really only go one of two ways especially when you throw in adorable yet uncomfortable clothes, during nap time with a person dressed up as a giant rabbit. All we can do is come prepared with a fully loaded diaper bag and be aware of all possible exits.
I came with zero expectations for how Charlotte would handle the Easter Bunny since Santa Clause was terrifying, but he was at least human. So in walks the Bunny and Charlotte treated him with the same healthy distrust that she gives the vacuum cleaner: she stoically wanted to stand close and watch his every move, but then cried and begged for more when he went away. Charlotte’s hysterically unpredictable reaction to the Easter Bunny was my favorite memory of the whole event and I will always remember that moment, which as a parent is the fun part. A week later she is still asking about the “Easa Bunny” but has accepted that “he is napping”, which is my gift to you as a go-to parenting trick that you can always keep in your back pocket. Now, as parents, you experience fun when you watch the way your kids take in the world and experience joy as it is seen through their eyes, even if their eyes are closed.
