AWESOMEYvonne

My youngest child is ten years old. She is in 5th grade. This is such a weird time in a child’s life. In some schools, 5th grade is the highest it goes, the last of elementary school. In others, 5th grade starts middle school.

These kids have crazy changes going on. Bodies are changing quickly for some, and for others barely at all.

Last weekend we went to a 100th year anniversary for the town of Nutter Fort, which is a town next to the one we live in. It was about four blocks of bouncy stuff, games, food trucks, craft vendors, and a stage area. It was hot and sunny. It sounded like a nightmare to me honestly. I was going to sweat and have to people. So I decided to ask the children if either were interested. I knew my husband wouldn’t be and confirmed that right away with him. The oldest unsurprisingly thought it sounded like a nightmare as well and politely declined after confirming there wouldn’t be a stop to McDonald at some point in the trip. The youngest though asked if her friends would be there and I told her I would take her and her friends and so, it was determined.

We picked up the sisters (the bffs) and headed to the celebration. It was 82ish outside and super sunny. We parked and walked the block over to the closed off street where the celebration was taking place. We did an initial lap to see what exactly was there. There was Italian Sausage, ice cream, lemonade, tacos, and funnel cake. There were a couple of tables selling baked goods raising money for various non-profit organizations. The last place to explore was the bouncy area. The first four or so bounce things were games similar to carnival games. After that, there were another four large bouncy playthings. There was an obstacle course or two, an actual house, and then a large ladder and slide bouncy. We stood at the end of the street, and I realized that all three kids were not already on the bouncy items and were all whispering. I heard “are we even allowed to go on these?” and “I will do it if you do it first.” and “I think it is just for little kids.” I look around and indeed, only children five years old and under (by my best guess) were there.

There were not many children or people at the celebration yet. It was just opening up and we hadn’t passed any kids that looked their age while doing the initial lap. I looked around for “rules” and didn’t find any. There were no restrictions hanging up and no rules. I reassured them there was nothing saying that they couldn’t bounce. None of them appeared to be put at ease by my words. There was a group of moms standing close to us, so I loudly said, “No one cares of kids want to be kids and jump when they are a little older, they just want you to watch out for the younger ones.” All of the moms looked and agreed out loud that absolutely the girls should go have fun, just not be jerks. The girls felt a little better and one minute later, I was standing alone, with three water bottles and three pair of shoes.

They jumped and checked out all four of the bouncy things and had a great time. Twenty minutes later or so, they were hot, sweaty, and worn out. I told them it was time for funnel cake, and we made our way to the food trucks. While we ate the funnel cake and discussed how exactly you make powdered sugar (regular sugar and corn starch) and why it tastes so delightful, it struck me in that moment that this could be the last time they bounce in a bouncy house. That while they are still children, the world expects different things from now that they are tall and look much more like an adult than a child.

This realization was amplified this weekend. We went to the Italian Heritage Festival Parade. The festival is a big deal in our community and the parade is full of people that throw candy at the crowds. I, again, opted to go out in the heat and crowds. This time in addition to my youngest and her two bffs, my oldest joined in. This type of thing really isn’t their style but a friend of theirs was in the parade and my kid is supportive. I am not new to this gig, so I knew the best place to park and stand. We found a nice little open space of street with an older couple to our left and a streetlight pole to our right.

As we settled in, I realized the older man did not look happy. He saw four kids, four kids that are not “little” with bags ready to grab the candy. I reminded my army that there were little children in the groups to our left and right and that while they were going in for the kill to remember that timid little ones would also like some candy and that there was going to be plenty for everyone.

About fifteen minutes later, the parade started, and the man warmed up. He would point to the kids if he felt they weren’t noticed by the candy throwers. He occasionally would even get excited when someone throw a large amount and exclaim that they hit the “motherload.” The kids with me didn’t disappoint and were behaved perfectly and even made sure little ones got candy. I realized though, that the man probably thought I brought a bunch of rowdy rude “older” kids with me. Once again, I was reminded that this age is hard. When people see them, they do not expect playfulness.

I personally would like my children to allow themselves to be playful for as long as possible. Life is hard and serious so much of our lives. So, if you can enjoy something, by all means, please do.