Dear Diary..
I just want to record a little piece about yesterday, for posterity.
It was such a lovely day.
Michael had an inset day - no school. Mario had taken the day off work and he looked after Isabel, allowing me to take Michael into town. First, the Science Museum (floors 4 and 5 - always totally deserted, amazingly, as these are by far the most interesting floors of the museum - maybe people suffer from altitude sickness up there)! He marvelled at the 'blood, bones and body bits' (as he called them) in the medical and veterinary sections - finding the mock-up of the nineteenth century dentist's surgery most interesting. I noticed that nothing of any of it scared him - he doesn't seem to get spooked.
The basement of the museum, where the children can 'learn through play', was jam-packed with crowds (I'd expected a quiet day, but clearly there were lots of 'inset days' going on yesterday)!! So we abandonned the museum and went for a McDonalds (groan - it was what he wanted and it's a very rare 'treat'. I had to look for the silver lining - it was cheap and quick). And then off, on a double decker bus, to ...... Chappells music shop. It turns out that we BOTH love it in there! He had lots of goes at playing lots of electronic pianos (with earphones) and drum kits (with earphones) - and we spent ages in there - they even let him use the staff loo!
It was now ice cream time and then home. Or so I thought. I just knew that Selfridges would have an ice cream parlour - and it did. And imagine my delight when my sister rang to say that 'her meeting had been cancelled and she could meet us for a pizza after work'! Another double decker bus ride to Westminster with time for a walk along the Thames before spending some considerable time in Dr Sister's office, examining her super-dooper, multi-headed hydra, I mean, microscope. Was ever a boy entranced?!
I over-heard Michael in the playground this morning, raving to a classmate about the microscope. It was the last thing he mentioned to me before going to sleep last night, and it was the first thing he mentioned to me this morning. I heard him talking to himself at length about it this evening as he was getting ready for bed.
I'm not going to mention that we returned home later than planned, that he was totally whacked and that, consequently, he has been the grumpiest of all bears this evening! It was a one-off - and there's nothing like making memories...
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8 comments:
Oh I'm so jealous, that all sounds fantastic. Not so much jealous of all the wonderful things that you did together and enjoyed, but because you obviously revel in your children and motherhood!
There are things we do and get huge amounts of enjoyment from, but I don't think I ever really spend quality time with any individual child and I don't have a great desire to, which is terribly sad and makes me a bad mother.
It's just the way I am I guess.
Ruth says:
Erm - see previous post about being bored rigid!
Good days and bad days!
Mmmm, good point, I have those too. I can't be too bad, if I sit down long enough with children around,(one second?!) I end up covered in them. They obviously appreciate my good points.
xx
What a wonderful day! We took Joshua to the children's museum about 45 minutes away on Saturday. He had a ball but wasn't fit to live with in the evening. It was certainly understandable since we'd completely destroyed his schedule. I think it was worth it in the end.
Lovely to read about that sort of day...to be able to give one's child so much pleasure so simply becomes ever harder as they grow up, because, of course,lives get complicated.
So do indeed treasure these.
Oh...and many counties are on half term THIS week, so I guess that's what crowded the Science museum..Glad you found happy things despite this!
Message from Ruth:
Hi Mary Beth and Kathryn - thank you for your comments.
I suppose it's true to say that Michael's not going to want to hang out in London with his mum when he's 15! And that's only 10 years off... and we all now how quickly a decade flies by! My sister is very cool though - and has no children of her own - I think that she'll always be a favourite of theirs... She has this wonderful non-patronising way with younger people (that I lack).
You know, I'm quietly worried about parenting my children when they become older. (I did some silly things in my late teens and early twenties, despite the best efforts of my parents to keep me on the straight and narrow - and I don't know how I'm going to guide my children on a happy path). The only way through this that I can see at the moment is that I'll discuss tactics with my friends.... so hope you all keep on blogging!
(Mind you, when they're older my chlidren might read my blog.....)
Can't imagine you as a rebel.
Funny thing is, I never did anything really bad, (apart from that one thing...) I didn't steal, or mug old ladies, or smoke, or drink, or take drugs, nothing that warranted the grief I got from my parents. You'd think I'd sprung two horns and a tail, or got 666 tattooed on my scalp.
I hope I'm a little closer to my children, even though I can be quite strict at times and that this will help us work through the dramas and crisies (crises?) that are no doubt ahead. Closer than I care to think.
Rhiannon starts Academy in August, she's twelve in November.
Oh my. I'm old...
Just go on loving and enjoying them, and in my experience (oooh, hark at her...simply because she'd got one safely to 20, she thinks she knows it all! - youngest is still only 14, so the whole thing may yet go horribly wrong) all shall be well.
I'd absolutely agree with Louise's implication that being friends with one's children is key - I'm very fortunate in that respect. I didnt' want to suggest that we can no longer have fun in each other's company (my best holiday for years was a girly 3 days away with my daughter last February), simply that making things happen for them is trickier when the height of their ambitions is more demanding than the dinosaurs or whatever..It's just good to be able to fix things for them while you can, and you won't lose the longing to do so when it is no longer possible.
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