Amiram Hayardeny's My China Experience

Sweets and Crying Kids

Place: the exit of any amusement park, zoo, kids' museum, actually any place where parents take their kids to have fun.  Phenomenon: two parents in front, with worried faces, in the back, a little girl, dragging her feet, three balloons tied to her little hand, a corn on the cub in the same hand.  On the other hand, a drumstick, a large set of crayons and a coloring book, and a few stuffed animals are dragging behind her, on leashes.  And yes, of course, she is crying and sobbing.  Big tears streaming down her cheeks.  And she's mumbling: "I want to go on the ferris wheel"...Rings a bell?  Ever asked yourself how can that be?  A crying kid at the EXIT of a fun place?  A crying kid loaded with food, gifts and souvenirs?  Almost inconceivable.

So how does this happen?  If you have kids you would know the answer.  It's easy.  You get up in the morning and the following thoughts go in your head: I work hard, I don't pay enough attention to the kids, I should try to be a better parent, I should do fun stuff with the kids.  Also, if we stay home, they will go crazy.  And I don't want to have them watch TV all day, it's anti-educational.  How about - yes, there's an amusement park somewhere, lets go be good parents, the kids will have fun, plus they will get really tired, and maybe, finally, we will have a couple of minutes to ourselves before we collapse...

So we hit the road, and get to the amusement park.  It's really hot outside, and we stand in line for the rides.  And this is the point where the singing begins: "I want this", "I want that".  The park management knows, understands, and caters to little children.  They place the traps in strategic areas around the park.  Souvenirs, food, candy, pop-corn, stuffed animals, balloons, cotton candy, ice-cream.  You name it, they got it.  And the kids play along, they want everything, and the rides.  And you, playing the "Great Parent" role, take out your wallet and get this and that and the other thing.

It's all great, until you get to the point where you either run out of money, or out of patience, or both.  And once you get there, there is no turning back.  You say "no" to the next thing.  And then the crying starts.  There's no consolation.  The child is absolutely positive that she's been wronged, that a terrible injustice has been done.  This is the point where you see them, on the way to the parking lot.  Hardly carrying all the stuff, and crying like they play the lead role in a Greek tragedy...

Posted at 03:00PM May 26, 2007 by Amiram Hayardeny in Personal  |  Comments[0]