As Simon gets older, he’s interested in a wider variety of activities and only rarely naps. I sometimes sense that he’s under-stimulated by being at school from 9 to 1 and then hanging out with me at home. After a brief snack and rest, I feel like he’s ready to DO something.
And he is, though not as much as I booked him for this past week. Behold Simon’s agenda for the last seven days:
- Saturday: School birthday party
- Sunday: Swimming class and family birthday party
- Monday: School and then not much else
- Tuesday: School, play-date with Taylor at Grandma and Papaw’s house, Rookie Hoop Stars basketball at the JCC
- Wednesday: School, play-date at Puzzles Fun Dome with Braylon
- Thursday: Full day with Caroline, including 2 hours running around the house shrieking and over 2 hours at the Speed Museum’s Art Sparks Exhibit
- Friday: Trip to the Newport Aquarium with Ruby
I am sure that a golden mean of children’s activity exists; I am equally sure that this wasn’t it. I began to realize this, unfortunately, at promptly 1:15 p.m. on Friday when, upon paying the hefty admission fee and entering the aquarium, Simon announced he was hungry and tired. Thankfully, he did not pull out Baby Kitten on us, but it was close! He laid down on every bench he found, slouched over and against display walls, and did that thing where he twists his legs, trips over himself, and declares himself unable to walk.
We made it through the exhibit, saw some interesting and beautiful sights, and had a fine time, but it took a marathon of coaxing, encouraging, borderline bullying, and sugar-based bribery to get there. Once we hit the penguins (a disappointingly small and isolated display, incidentally), the last exhibit before the exit, I felt a palpable sense of relief.
The funny thing about this, is that I should have seen it coming. For on Wednesday, an hour or so into Puzzles Fun Dome, Braylon announced that he was ready to go back to Simon’s house. I didn’t understand this at first: Why would he want to just hang out at home when he could be out doing something fun? Then I thought about the fact that Braylon is at school until 5:30 every day and probably relished some down-time with a single child. He was exceedingly happy to sit on our couch, watch Looney Tunes videos, eat a snack, and then play with hot wheels. After the week Simon had just had, I think he was ready for some low-key family time today.
So Simon, I’ve got some really good news for you. Tomorrow we have a family dinner for Aunt Bobbie’s birthday. Sunday you have a half-hour swimming lesson. And the rest of the weekend? Nothin’. We’re going to have the kind of weekend that makes you feel like an amnesiac when asked about it on Monday. A happy, well-rested, amnesiac. Bring on the nothing!
*kid* amnesiac