By Whitney from Rookie Moms
Twice my 5-year old son has been to the Ringling Brothers Circus, and twice we left at intermission.
Heather serves her children vanilla yogurt or plain fruit and calls it dessert. She drinks out of their hot chocolate mugs when they are not looking.
We buy “all-you-can-visit” membership passes to museums and zoos so we can cut out of there at the slightest hint of a meltdown without worrying that we have wasted money on single-use tickets.
Are we the meanest moms around?
I would argue not. We simply share a philosophy that small children need everything in small doses. I would not serve my 2-year old a full surf and turf meal and ask her to clean her plate. Why would I expect her to enjoy a full day at Disneyland? Well, I didn’t!
While we took our big boy to Disneyland, his little sister went to the Disney store with Grandma. Is that so wrong? She got three healthy meals and a long nap, plus time to fondle Snow White costumes and stuffed Nemos. At the end of the trip, they both got the age-appropriate dose of Disney (and we saved on double park admission prices!).
Travel can be full of exciting experiences for kids, but their ability to process entertainment, food, and other stimulation is on a smaller scale than ours.
So if you see my eating my daughter’s cupcake at a birthday party this weekend, you’ll understand why.
Heather Flett and Whitney Moss are authors of The Rookie Mom’s Handbook: 250 Activities to do With (and Without!) Your Baby. They also share crazy fun activities at Rookie Moms and 510Families.com. They each have two children and live in Berkeley, CA.
