Ti-red

Luke and I skipped work and daycare and hit the children's museum this afternoon. We started off in the "car" room, where there are "cars", and a "car wash". Luke watched the Lego cars go flying down the ramps, and it was kind of funny watching his delayed reaction to try and catch the cars after they had already zipped by. Even funnier was Luke trying to get in the car where the "big kids" (um, three year olds) were playing. He stepped up on the sideboard and started grabbing shirts so as not to topple backwards. Once up there, he turned around and pushed kids away with his butt. Good thinking!

We trooped on over to the mini grocery store, where I saw not one, not two, but THREE of the mini grocery carts topple over while we were in there. For maybe twenty minutes. Luke meanwhile walked around and put groceries in all the other children's carts, and much like when we do this at the real grocery store, people didn't like that.

I have a very hands off approach to parenting. I copped a squat in each of the play areas while Luke explored. If he found a door and took off for the hills, I got up. If he instigated an altercation with some other child, usually by taking their stuff or knocking something down, I went to get him and apologize to the other kid.

Other parents do not share this 'let the kids play' attitude, and hover directly behind as they let their imaginations run. It's gotta be hard to let your imagination run with mom or grandma hovering over your every move. The Hoverents were generally displeased with the appearance of Luke without a Hoverent. I assume they thought he was a delinquent and ditched school to come to the museum to sell cigrettes and drugs to the other one year olds. Luke was pried off a table or toy by Hoverents once or twice, at which point I arrived to assure them that, no, he wasn't here alone.

Parenting is a weird and crazy journey made so much weirder and crazier by the other people doing it, and doing it stupidly. Nanny 911 had a new episode last week, with an 18 month old girl and a 3.5 year old girl. The children in this episode were doing things like playing in the toilet water, drinking out of the cat bowls, and eating the pet pig's food. And I was astonished that the parents in this case did NOTHING to prevent these things. Luke has played in the toilet water, and you know what we do? We CLOSE THE BATHROOM DOOR. They also have toilet locks. Drinking from the cat bowls? Relocate the bowls, people. And eating the pig food? RELOCATE IT. I can't believe people are that dumb. Children will try anything! What parents are responsible for is giving them safe and healthy things to try and preventing them from trying the gross and dangerous things! Not so hard!

I don't think I'm the best parent in the world, or the most experienced. But I'm going to pat myself on the back for not being a flaming idiot.