Sunday, September 20, 2009

Do What the Baby Wants, and No One Gets Hurt

Our recent adventures included a trip to Lagoon for Labor Day, one of our favorite holidays. Penny, who decided within minutes that she hated ALL of the rides, got to hang out with her daddy and mingle with fellow Teamsters, and I got to ride on some sweet rides with my friend Mindy. There was much shrieking and giggling and excited clapping. My heart rate hasn't raced like that a long time, and I had forgotten how thrilling those little shots of adrenaline can be.

Penny didn't even like the carousel, although she might have handled it better if I could have stayed on the horse with her, but that was against the rules. I had to clumsily dismount the horse, and when it was painfully clear she was not going to stay on the horse alone, we were relegated to the bottom caste of the carousel animal kingdom: some little bear with a cart that sort of shimmied unsteadily back and forth. She fussed and complained before, during, and after the ride.

To be fair, we didn't get off to the best start. We thought we'd see if Penny would ride any of the little rides at Kiddieland, but the majority of them do not accommodate parents, so the kiddies have to be brave enough to fly solo. I could have left her on Bulgy the Whale alone, sobbing in distress, but I didn't have the heart to do that to her.

Hopefully by next year, she will be a little more adventurous. I don't want to force Penny to do things she doesn't feel comfortable with, but I want her to enjoy amusement parks as much as I do.


(Apropos of nothing, Penny performing dental work on Po, with a pencil.)

But I had a blast! I want to go again soon. Who wants to go with me?

3 comments:

Lo said...

I personally still alternate between crying and laughing hysterically. I live with a trio of serious ride folks. I am seriously nauseous folks. Oh well. Glad you had a blast. She just keeps getting cuter.

Momcat said...

I'm with Penny ---somewhat. I don't go off the ground or upside backwards or anything like that. Like I said, there's not enough dramamine or prozac in the whole world. I am saddened that Miss S. the adorable grand daughter only nerved herself to go on the merrygoround this summer at age 5, and then she would only sit with her mother in one of the stationery chariot seats. It didn't even wiggle. oh well.

Ironic collector said...

I recall being younger, and H, the mother of Miss S, would always throw me on the scariest roller-coaster first - the rationale being that everything after that would seem tame. Perhaps Miss S. senses this.