The Wet and Wild Outdoors
If April showers bring May flowers, we’ll be able to stage a revival of “Little Shop of Horrors” using our backyard flora by the end of the month. Rain has hit us hard in the past several days, leaving our backyard a muddy, mucky mess. Combine the rain with chilly temperatures, and I want nothing more right now than to stay indoors and curl up in bed.
Of course, I’m a parent; my wants have no influence in the household. The kids want to go outside, rain or no rain. Their internal thermometers tell them it’s warm enough to run around outside barefoot, where “warm enough” is defined to them as “above freezing, or at least sunny with no snow left on the ground.” While I want to huddle inside for warmth, I still have to open the back door to let the dog in and out. Every time I touch the door the kids rush it, determined to sprint outdoors and furious when they realize that the dog gets to run around outside but they can’t. Never mind that the dog hates the rain too and is usually ready to come back in before the back door latches shut.
I want to keep the kids indoors because it’s cold, wet, and disgusting out there. The kids want to rush outside because it’s exciting, wet, and disgusting out there. They’re willing to put up with a little cold as long as they can dig in our backyard sand lot. If I give them a crack to squeeze through in the backdoor, they’ll take it.
The kids don’t like wearing wet clothes, but that problem is easily solved by removing their clothing and running around the backyard naked. Judging by the number of times they remove their clothing in a day, running around naked is apparently the solution to many of their problems, especially the ever-present boredom dilemma.
Those backyard puddles that I hate sloshing through to chase the kids create entertainment for them. They provide all the excitement of a bath without the unpleasantries associated with soap. Show my kids a puddle, and they’ll hop, splash, and scoop it dry. Then they’ll remove their soaked clothing, find a mud source, and play in that until I drag them away screaming and shivering.
I hope they soon learn that running outside means getting in trouble and being cold. Either that, or hopefully the rain dries soon so I don’t have to worry about it for another year.
Of course, I’m a parent; my wants have no influence in the household. The kids want to go outside, rain or no rain. Their internal thermometers tell them it’s warm enough to run around outside barefoot, where “warm enough” is defined to them as “above freezing, or at least sunny with no snow left on the ground.” While I want to huddle inside for warmth, I still have to open the back door to let the dog in and out. Every time I touch the door the kids rush it, determined to sprint outdoors and furious when they realize that the dog gets to run around outside but they can’t. Never mind that the dog hates the rain too and is usually ready to come back in before the back door latches shut.
I want to keep the kids indoors because it’s cold, wet, and disgusting out there. The kids want to rush outside because it’s exciting, wet, and disgusting out there. They’re willing to put up with a little cold as long as they can dig in our backyard sand lot. If I give them a crack to squeeze through in the backdoor, they’ll take it.
The kids don’t like wearing wet clothes, but that problem is easily solved by removing their clothing and running around the backyard naked. Judging by the number of times they remove their clothing in a day, running around naked is apparently the solution to many of their problems, especially the ever-present boredom dilemma.
Those backyard puddles that I hate sloshing through to chase the kids create entertainment for them. They provide all the excitement of a bath without the unpleasantries associated with soap. Show my kids a puddle, and they’ll hop, splash, and scoop it dry. Then they’ll remove their soaked clothing, find a mud source, and play in that until I drag them away screaming and shivering.
I hope they soon learn that running outside means getting in trouble and being cold. Either that, or hopefully the rain dries soon so I don’t have to worry about it for another year.
posted by Matt at
11:25 PM
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