Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Adventures in the science museum

Every day I plan an outing for my kids, Srulik and Rivky, who are home. I need to get them out in the morning, or they get bored and start wrecking the house (and hurting each other). Today's trip will be BJ'S.

Anyway, yesterday we went to the science museum. BAD IDEA. Rivky was scared of all the noises that the exhibits made, and she wasn't interested in looking at the fish. That's basically the whole museum.

I got the kids (and double stroller) upstairs in an elevator because I saw someone else going into it. I posted once about being petrified of elevators, but I can handle them if another adult is in there with me. The problem was getting back downstairs. No one was getting anywhere near the elevator (which, by the way, was basically a small metal coffin). I decided to fold up the double stroller and take the escalator. I put the frightened Rivky on, stuck myself + stroller on, and turned to get Srulik. He refused to budge. So the escalator is going down, and I'm scrambling up trying to get my 2 year old. I frantically called to a museum employee to stick Srulik on the escalator, which was apparently a very big deal for him (he threw up his hands in disgust). What could I say? "Please Mister, help an Anxiety Maven out!" So Srulik was plopped onto the escalator and sat wide-eyed through the whole trip down.

We ended up spending the bulk of the museum trip in the toddler area, playing with a bubble tray, computers, and climbing on stuff. I found a globe and was thrilled. (It's really amazing when you study a globe, to see where countries are in relation to each other).

I was a little overwhelmed from the whole morning, and I called a friend to complain (I'm great at that). "This is gonna be my life?" I wailed. "Kid after kid, schlepping all day long?" She said, "You don't have to wait until menopause to be happy." It's true. These are the best years of my life, whether I realize it or not. I can find some private time to enrich myself as an adult, to help me face my daily challenges as a mother.

Thank you G-d, for my beautiful kids. Thank you for the struggles you give me, and not - chas v'shalom - other ones.




2 Comments:

  • At 2:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    funny huh? how eager we are when we get married, for the kids to hurry up and come on down- how tears sting our eyes in jealousy as we notice other people showing a little plump belly before we have... then wham! Bam! suddenly in a short handful of moments - one...two...three...how many will we be lucky enough to host on his/her entrance into this world...- how lucky will we be...G-d should bless us with what we "can handle"- and give us the overwhlming joy not to complain about it- AMEN!

     
  • At 8:50 PM, Blogger n/a said…

    Yeah, with every misfortune I try to remember to give thanks that the Lord spared me and mine from something far worse. Some day I will go back and learn the dayeynu from the passover prayers.

    The Dinos were portable as babies in art museums and only tolerable as tots other similar venues when more than one adult was present. Now the 5 and 8 year olds are good company in museums but I still have trouble chasing the 3 year old Mouse and tracking them when I don't have adult assistance.

     

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My Photo Name: Fancy Schmancy Anxiety Maven
Location: Chutz l'aretz - Outside of Brooklyn

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