It's been a magical summer. Sure, we've had daily temper tantrums, but that's the age we're at. I'd much rather deal with the maddening tyranny of toddler willfulness than the distressing mystery of a baby's constant wailing. We've discovered that as a family we all love fresh tomatoes and corn on the cob, which is a big relief, since that's one of my favorite parts of summer. We've also had our first amusement park foray this season, which was truly one of the high points of my parenting. The particular one we visit is near where I grew up. It's kind of my Adventureland; it still has the a bunch of the same rides that were there when I was a kid. It also has tons of trees and shade, which is one of the things that makes it so great and very different from almost any other theme park I know of.
The looks on their faces when they took off on their first kiddie ride (stupid-cute fire engines) will stay with me till my last breath. The joy in parenting for me really stems from merging with the pure, uncritical joy of your kids. And at two and a half, those moments seem to come so easily. Granted, they just as easily freak out when you won't let them bake their pillow in the oven, but like I said, managing that kind of, um, unreasonable demand is something I can pretty much take in stride. Did I mention I spent a number of years working in the music business?
Ruby is into dressing herself (someone really needs to tell her that boots and angora aren't summer wear; she won't listen to me) and Bennett continues to need music in his life every day (he still plays his guitar every morning; it's atonal but enthusiastic). They are also huge - it's becoming one of those situations where other parents on the playground expect them to behave beyond their years because of their height. Oh well. Maybe they'll be supermodel/basketball stars. Just kidding. I'm no sadist.
