July 14, 2002

• Respite.

  
  

  Well I had the ultrasound - everything appears okay. I can breathe for the first time in 2 weeks, at least until the host of worries and statistics that crowd in the back of my head threaten to push forward. I know it was all the good vibes and caring thoughts sent my way. I just know it.

  
  

  So.

  
  

  The past two weeks has been filled with children's birthday parties (not Mouse's) and various kid-centric outings. It's school holiday time here in Oz, and as a result every mother out to prove her worth has various day trips organised for her offspring.

  
  

  All except one.

  
  

  Oh I merrily pick and choose among the invites that Mouse receives. But it takes a lot more than my child's possible interest to get me to go a see an exhibit of the world's biggest insects. Or mammals of Australia. EEP and YAWN respectively.

  
  

  Let me tell you about my kid. I have learned my lesson. She takes an inverse proportion of interest compared to the cost of admission. The Skeleton Gallery at the Museum? $14 bucks a kid. She spent her time banging a skin drum and sticking playdo on the underside of the exhibits. Kids Island - a trip into Pirate Times? $16 bucks a kid and she spent her time playing house with the lone dolly in the play area and shouting at the big boys. Uncle Homer's Petting Zoo? $4 bucks a kid and she's still talking about how the cow did a big poop.

  
  

  So I loftily rise above the guilt and the stressed out mum and go to things that I think both she AND I will enjoy, with no ulterior motive  other than to make her day a bit more interesting. We have *gasp* gone to the movies since she likes having her own bucket of lollies. We have spent almost every day feeding the ducks or hanging from the monkey bars in the park. We've attended birthday parties where the most organised game was the pinata at the end. (And I made sure I stole her enough treats from the big kids when their mamas weren't looking). We've had days where the most nutritious thing in her gullet was the three bites of my cheese sandwich at 3pm. And where I've actually read every word of some Disney Movie book tie-in.

  
  

  Things we haven't gone to:

  
  

  
  
  • A History of Australia
  
  
  • Insects: The Forgotten World.
  
  
  • Australian Mammals.
  
  
  • A Tour of the HMAS Penguin Naval Destroyer
  
  
  • Pirates in the Maritime
  
  
  • The Children's Stamp Exhibit
  
  
  • Bob the Builder

  
  

  Things we have gone to:

  
  

  
  
  • A Playschool concert
  
  
  • The park
  
  
  • The movies
  
  
  • A Kid's Guide to Rock n' Roll
  
  
  • The Picasso Lithograph exhibit
  
  
  • Light and Colour exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art.

  
  

  I am being told I am not stretching her enough, that she does too many things that I like or that don't require her to learn anything. I thought that was called being a kid.

  
  

  And she turned to me today, after we had 2 birthday parties where she ate chocolate, cake and ran around like a banshee getting filthy and grimy and got paint all over herself and said:

  
  

  "Mummy, this was an exquisite day".

  
  

  She's 27 months old.

  
  

  HAH. HAH.

  • 4:49 am
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