We took a trip to the Manhattan Children’s Museum. The little ones were a little too little to enjoy the exhibit on Greek Mythology (although the huge climb-onable trojan horse looked cool), so we headed to the little kids floor. We put them down and they both ran ahead, not looking back to see if we were there once. Because it was rainy this day, the place was packed. There were also a lot of upper west side checked out nannys looking glassy-eyed into the distance. It was total mayhem and I was pretty sure I saw some kid in a loin-cloth and a spear made out of a stick calling some kid “piggy”. Props were strewn about, you could find the plastic groceries in the fire truck, the science tubes of feathers and seeds in the baby ball pit and alphabet letters that the plastic alligator was supposed to eat on the slide. My kids didn’t care, it all made no sense anyway.
Jack and Marlowe both loved the fire truck and it brought a tear to my eye when I saw it was dedicated to a firefighter lost in 9/11. They did a lot of climbing and just walking around aimlessly letting out little cackles of excitement. Some older boys were getting rowdy and were behind an exhibit meant for babies and were throwing plastic balls at each other and diving into each other. Marlowe crawled right up to them and sat observing them intensely, happy to be within the biggest chaos. Jack couldn’t care less if anyone else was there and just focused on whatever task was at hand.
It was interesting to watch parents with their kids here. Most kids were with a nanny and every once in a while you would see one grab them by the arm and say something in a thick islands accent. There were a few Moms and a couple of Dad’s. It is often painful to watch them act so afraid of their own children sometimes. I just want to grab them and say “It is not your job to make them like you, its your job to parent them…trust me, they will be happier with some boundries!” But I would never tell anyone how to raise their kid, nor would I want someone telling me. People always have something to say however and I usually tell people to mind their own business or take a flying leap (but in french). I felt sorry for some of these kids with the checked out nannies though, maybe they were royal terrors and their nanny’s brain had to go on reserve mode for a minute or so.
I told my Mother later on that night where we had been and she said something like “Wow, you have all kinds of interesting stuff to do there, we just have the park.” like she lives in Saskatchewan (she lives in Jersey). True, there is a lot to choose from and there are a lot of child friendly places to go to. But you also have to share the space with lots and lots of other people, and not many things are free (um, expensive). We have done a lot with the kids this week. The zoo, an indoor gym class, its nice to have options. We left the museum’s gift shop with a basket of fake plastic sandwich fixen’s, a small stuffed animal tiger for Marlowe that is now wearing her doll’s dress and a fireman’s hat for Jack (although he is still partial to his sister’s purple Easter hat that is shaped like a little safari hat).
Marlowe in the driver’s seat of course. Jack pressed the botton to make the siren and light go off over their heads like 100 times…excited every time.
J & M wished they had the one where one drives the back of the fire truck.
In the bin of cars while wearing the purple Easter hat that he donned himself.
