Brooklyn Children's Museum

About a month ago my friend Kristin Taylor and I took our kidlets to the Brooklyn Children's Museum. It was so fun for them (and it was nice to have some adult chatting time). There were 2 sandboxes, fish tanks, reading nooks, act like gophers, a toddler grocery store (complete with real looking food--do not go hungry), a pizzeria (fake food), post office, travel agency, Mexican bakery, and a MTA bus. In short toddler/little kid heaven.

When we got there S had just been rudely awoken and refused for a stroller ride and was loudly expressing her displeasure with rolling tears. We walked in the door and she stood by it a moment longer wailing. Then she stepped toward what I think she thought was me and was still hollering. Only, it wasn't me, it was a peeved mother (peeved for several reasons, I believe). Suddenly that mother reached her breaking point and screamed at S "WILL YOU STOP SCREAMING BY MY SLEEPING BABY?!!!"

Yes, I felt the heat rise to my face and the boiling on my insides. . . but for some odd and blessed reason I was toooooooo angry to talk to the woman and pulled S aside to calm her (for the nth try). Maybe it was the rudeness of the woman, but S snapped out of it in a matter of minutes and began to look at things in a somewhat calmer light (note to parents--those minutes can seem like hours).

It is hard to realize when A: you have no children and B: your children are not older (so you assume the mother of the child in question has complete control of her child at all times, even when they are not-calm-able) that other children are NOT perfect and therefore at times may feel the need to vent for extended periods of time. To parents-to-be, parents-of-young-babies, parents-with-older-children, people-with-no-children-and-no-desire-whatever-to-be-parents I say:

CHILDREN HAVE MINDS OF THEIR OWN. It is a scientific impossibility to have complete control over every situation every moment of any day. Kids can be jovial and sweet one instant and rude and scathing the next. . . don't be too shocked if you should notice this in nearby children. This is only amplified if (like S) they are over-tired, hungry, and a bit sluggish for a few moments.

To that dear mother that hollered at my crying child. . . just you wait. You'll see [Evil laugh--followed by a subdued sigh].

Most likely my favorite moment of the day was on the way home. It was raining rats and roaches (of which, there are many more in NYC than cats and dogs--but please, I did not mean literally--it was truly only rain).
















Pierson, my friend's son is very affectionate towards R. Probably because they are both boyish boys (trains, cars, NO dolls, etc.). He was giving ample amounts of brotherly hugs and kisses on the side of his head. R let it go for a few moments and then ducked his head and screeched, "Stop kissing me."

The stopping commenced followed by a small awkward silence.

S coyly offered, "You can kiss me."

Oh, dear. Four years old and already having the kissing conversation. . . .