expectations vs. reality

When it comes to parenting, there are expectations, and then there is reality.

Our expectations - Let's take her to the Ladner May days, there is a petting zoo, rides, carnie food, games, face painting, it'll be so. much. fun!

Reality #1: At the petting zoo she will happily pet the animals and then lose her mind when we try to put her back in the stroller. She will act as if we are strapping her in a straight jacket, shrieking so much that she terrorizes the aforementioned adorable animals.

Reality #2: She will spot swings among the throngs of rides and not want to get off, making us realize that we probably could have just walked her to the playground at the end of our street.

Reality #3: Her favourite place to stand is along a chainlink fence, watching men's fast pitch baseball. We are literally on the other side of the gate from the beer garden. We know she does this as a huge joke on us. We stare longingly at the packed beer garden, watching people clink plastic cups and laugh at life. We tear up. 

Reality #4: I know, she loves jumping and climbing! Let's take her to the bouncy gymnastics zone! 

To paraphrase, she bounced like no one was watching. She bounced like there was no tomorrow.

She was in a state of absolute BLISS. Trying to take her out of this zone to go home? fuggetaboutit. She screamed like we were kidnapping her. Parents looked at us with their heads tilted sideways in sympathy, as if to say, better you than me, thanks for taking one for the team.

If I didn't tell you the backstory, you may have looked at the photos above and thought, aw, that's cute, what a fun day at the fair! What a great facebooky life they lead! But parents know, there's always more to the story. We'll never stop trying to make her life adventurous, but we're learning (quickly) that our expectations and her reality will often be on two different tracks. 

xoxo