Because our city is one of the rare few in Southwestern Ontario which isn't adjacent to one of the Great Lakes, families with young children can either drive an hour outside of town to find a beach or do what we did this weekend - go to one of the numerous splashpads sprinkled throughout London. It takes all the same prep as a day at the beach - sunscreen, cooler full of drinks and snacks, towels, beach hats and chairs minus the sand and the large natural body of water.
Deaglan started to love it yesterday. The first few times we've gone he didn't really know what to think as he stood on the sidelines watching the bigger kids squeal and splash through the jumping shoots of water. But yesterday we encouraged him a little (read Shaune and I carried him into the midst of the streams and let him see that it was fun not scary) and after about twenty minutes of scurrying in and out of the smaller misty sprays on his own, he got braver and braver and eventually when it was time to leave we had to carry a screaming crying toddler to the car because there was no way he was leaving on his own volition.
Today my friend Erin spent the day with Deaglan and me and we went back to the same splashpad we were at yesterday. It was packed with parents and small kids. It must seem odd to someone without children yet (Erin and Wes have two cats and a puppy on the way) to be in this scene. To the left of us a little girl a few months older than Deaglan threw a full on crying fit because her mother would not allow her to take her diaper off and run through the water naked. This was no soft whimpering either - we're talking crying with tears at a steady high-pitched screetch. While this was nothing alarming to me, I could see the concern on Erin's face. I remember before I had kids how when I would see parents just "allowing" their kids to cry and throw tantrums, I would wonder what was wrong with them and why they didn't just make their kids stop. I know better now and I just looked at the mother of the screaming girl with sympathy and understanding.
The picture posted here is at the splashpad yesterday. Shaune's discovered the world of Photoshop.
Tell Shaune that he did a great job with this photo! Deaglan looks like he's posing for a fashion shoot:) So glad that you all had fun together. I remember those "no kid" days when I would wonder why parents don't respond to tantrums. Like you, I always feel for the poor parents as they try to ride out one of those kid storms in public. By the way, my kids would love to visit those splash pads. Lots of fun!
ReplyDeletearen't those splashpads great!?! we are huge fans of them...i love the zero depth and the no fear of drowning with a bazillion kids around. enjoy it while the weather lasts!
ReplyDeletethat's a great capture...and edit in Photoshop! yep...Photoshop...it's a great thing! i'm an addict...i admit!!!!
That picture is priceless. I'm pretty sure you need a caption contest to go along with that. "Hey buddy, you lookin' at MY sandcastle? Wanna go?"
ReplyDeleteKim-definetly rocking the green/red look. Not gonna get involved in the child rearing thing. I always get stoned. Ouch! glad you enjoyed the beach! ~rick
ReplyDeleteGreat picture.
ReplyDeleteWe are at splash pads all the time..or rather when the weather permits..its been kind of chilly as of late.
He did a great job with the photo. I've never seen a splashpad - must investigate those around here!
ReplyDeleteAnd I know what you mean - I used to feel the same way until my brother and his wife had kids a few years before us...then I was around them enough to realize - hmmm you can't always make them stop! lightbulb moment!
Great photo! So cute.
ReplyDeleteGlad y'all are enjoying your summer.
oh the terrible twos, Marissa (granddaughter not daughter) was with me in WalMart, decided while at the checkout that she wanted a soda from the machine next to the register, started screaming and throwing herself on the floor - I paid the checkout, picked her up like a football, and carried her under my arm to the car.... a police man came running asking ' is she yours' I said NO you want her...? she stopped immediately and looked at him, at me with a questionmark on her face (priceless) - she only did this once.
ReplyDeleteAh, Deaglan's so cool in his nifty swimming trunks and shoes.
ReplyDeleteSounds like great fun and very good photoshop photo! Wow!
ReplyDeleteIt's so true how you see the world differently after kids.
Thanks for the well wishes - yes, everything with 2.0 is good I just wish I felt better. Keep me posted on your project as well!
And I will probably get the pack sent off next week. I'll email when I do for sure.
I love that photo - and that cute toddler tummy! This post reminds me of my littlest niece Vivienne who is terrified of large bodies of water. She also cries in the shower especially if her mother uses shampoo on her. I wonder how she feels about sprinklers though.
ReplyDeleteMy son still throws the occasional tantrum and he is 7. You just never know!
ReplyDeleteI love the picture and those splashpads are fun. I think kids of all ages throw tantrums. Sounds like a fun day :)
ReplyDeleteI love the picture and those splashpads are fun. I think kids of all ages throw tantrums. Sounds like a fun day :)
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ReplyDeleteoh, the water is so much fun for kids! i used to love it.
ReplyDeleteand this picture of your son is FANTASTIC!!! i love it! photoshop is one amazing tool in the right hands!!! :)
I love the coloring in this photo! Awesome!
ReplyDeleteLove the photo! I do remember (pre-kid) looking at parents and thinking, "Geez, can't you control your kid...?" when the child was crying or upset. Now, (post-kid) I think, "No, they probably couldn't."
ReplyDeleteI am loving splash pads lately. By the way, I can not stop looking at this picture. It makes me smile-amazing.
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