On Logan’s first Friday off from work (yay!) we went to the Museum of Natural History. The church actually got us family passes to this museum as part of a welcome present – super generous and greatly appreciated! This museum is actually very nostalgic for me because we would go with my grandparents pretty frequently when I was a kid. It was one of my grandpa’s favorites, and therefore mine as well. Lots of vivid and fond memories for me surrounding this place – the maze of life-like animals, the breathtaking dinosaur skeletons, the giant whale... All pretty unforgettable, and magical as a kid. So I have been really looking forward to taking the buddies there. The central park carousel and the museum were the two things we baited the kids with as we talked to them about moving to the cityJ.
We had a fantastic time! Calvin’s favorite was the exhibit with the giant whale, and Eli’s was the dinosaurs. There were more interactive computer stations than when I was there last, and the kids especially liked those. We definitely bit off more than we could chew thinking we could explore the whole place in one morning. We didn’t get to the ancient mammals, and Eli really wanted to see a woolly mammoth. Next time. Logan and I would love to go back on a date to really check out the Haden Planetarium – so much information to think through! Not very toddler friendly though… at least until Logan and I know enough to be able to talk through the exhibit with them.
We stopped to have lunch at the food court where we ate the typical pizza and chicken fingers that you would expect (there were probably better options – like the salad bar – but on a kid day, is it really an option?). And as we are trying to coax the kids to eat their lunch (as if we had gotten them a giant pile of vegetables) a catastrophe happened. I mean a catastrophe! The little girl – who was celebrating her 2nd birthday at the museum with her parents and grandma – sitting at the booth across from us bumped her head. Yes it’s true! She bumped her head! The horror! The agony!
To her parent’s credit, the accident didn’t look pretty. She was standing on the seat of the booth, and slipped – bumping head on the table before falling under it. It would have, could have, been comical except for how her family reacted to the fall. It was as if she had fallen of a cliff. They scrambled to rescue her from the great abyss under the table, and then proceeded to pace in front of the booth for a full 15 minutes with the girl screaming and crying.
It was a perfect opportunity to teach the boys politeness and what “staring” means. But who could blame them for staring, really – it was as if the family wanted to be an exhibit to watch and analyze. Eventually, a woman who was a certified nurse came over to inform the family that the bump on the little girl’s head that was accompanied by a reddish hue was perfectly normal and in fact a good sign of her body healing herself. It was only then that the mom took her daughter to the bathroom to calm down, and the dad and grandma recovered at their table.
This whole interaction reminded me of my childhood… The theatrics! The colossal concern for physical safety! The raised voices and frantic reactions! The embarrassed but slightly amused looks from people watching! It made me thankful that I began my parenting “journey” in Austin around laid back and practical moms who knew how to distinguish between a real emergency and just a bump on the head. I enjoy parenting much more because of it. I’m thankful that I got to watch other moms handle difficulties with humor instead or horror. Hopefully, my kids will enjoy more and feel able to handle any situation because of it. I feel like my life is so much richer because of the relationships I have gotten to have with all of you!!!
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