Yesterday we took Gracie to our local park again because it's a good one to go to when it's still wet and rainy. The nearer park has a tot area, but the ground is dirt and woodchips -- a recipe for filthy dirty kids when they're done playing. I don't mind dirt; it's mud I hate. The farther playground has a surface of recycled tires and athletic shoes, quite springy under your feet, and therefore not muddy and messy for a rainy day here in Seattle.
While there, we met another couple taking their kid to the park. The funny thing is they live in the same town we do, but travel to this playground for the same reason -- the play surface!! Plus it was so nice to see a couple taking their kid to the park on a weekday; too often it's just the mother and her kid(s).
The woman Chris and I completely hit it off. We sat there and talked for so long while the "boys" took care of the kids. She has a son, Aidan, who's just shy of his second birthday, and boy, is he a charmer!! He's got this lovely brown skin (his dad is Hispanic) with chocolate brown eyes that just melt your heart. I have completely fallen in love with this little boy.
Maybe he'll be my new boyfriend. :o)
Chris told us about the local rec center having a children's program on Thursdays where they set up kid-friendly equipment in the aerobics room and let the kids go wild. It costs just $1.50 per child for two hours of play, so today we decided to check it out!!
We walked into the aerobics room and it was complete chaos. There must have been thirty kids there, but since it was a fairly large space, it worked out all right. There were gym mats on the floor, some of which had aerobic steps under them at strategic points to make small hills for the kids to run over. There was some tumbling equipment out, a treehouse gym, and a wooden piece that was either a bridge or a rocking boat, depending on whether it was upside down or right side up.
I walked in carrying Grace, and as soon as she saw all the kids running amok, she squirmed to get down to join the madness. She had an absolute ball!!! She loved all the activing swirling around her, with kids up to five years old racing around. There was a play lawnmower that some kids were pushing around that she was just fascinated by. A little boy about three years old caught Gracie in his hula hoop with him. Then there were the balls -- tons and tons of playground balls zooming around the room. Finally Gracie noticed the full-length mirrors utilized by the aerobics class, and of course she had to stop to admire herself in the mirror and preen. But then it was right back into the middle of the chaos.
Apparently it was unusual to have so many kids at that program. Usually there are no more than ten, they tell me.
But I noticed something while I was there.... same thing that happens whenever you get too many women in one room....
Cliques.
There were two distinct groups of women there, sitting in a line or in a circle, gossiping about their husbands or their kids or their friends or whatever it is that women gossip about when they're together. No one smiled at us to make us feel welcome; in fact, I felt sort of like I was intruding on their turf.
That is, until Chris walked in the door with her husband and her son Aidan. I was so worried she would think I was a stalker, since I had just met her the day before and she'd told me about the rec center program. Fortunately, she thought it was wonderful that I was there. Again we talked and talked and talked while our husbands chased our children. In fact, we were the last families to leave!! The program was to end at 1:30pm and we didn't leave the room till after 1:45. Then we stood just outside the center's doors in the rain and chatted for another 15 minutes.
So I think I am making a new friend, which I think is pretty rad. Also I've found a way to get Gracie to interact with kids that doesn't involve joining a playgroup. Now I can just show up on any given Thursday to my rec center and let Gracie go nuts amongst all the other kids running amok.
Finally... something we've found that wears the kid out!!!!