Last September marked the beginning of one of the funnest phases of our life so far with Elisa. I remember thinking that things were getting easier and I was really starting to enjoy her. Like most of the time. In public. You know, the kind of fun you always hoped you'd have with your kid. And one of the times I remember first feeling that way was at a local fair at the Queens County Farm. It was late September and so there was a kind of Oktoberfest vibe to the whole proceedings, mixed with a good dose of food and beer and yes, petting zoo. It was a great family outing and Elisa really amused herself and us with her silly dancing and general good mood. Flash forward to this year's festivities and we have a mixed bag of enjoyment. First of all, the venue was not set up as well with a much smaller area for the animals and petting zoo that we really came to see. Then the Oktoberfest themed pavilion featured a shrill cover band pumping the music a little too loud, instead of last year's polka band which I personally found kitschy cool. It's not fair to make comparisons, but I really was expecting to enjoy it more this year. I figured with another year under her belt, Elisa would behave even better, but in reality I think we broke even. On the one hand, the day started out great with Elisa's first pony ride, meeting up with friends and watching Irish dancing, funnel cakes (yes, this counts as a highlight), and Elisa's first ever amusement park ride which I was somewhat reluctant about but she absolutely LOVED it. From the photos, it looks like a banner day...
But there were also the tantrums, Elisa's almost escape from me into a very large crowd, her whining and pleading for more, more, more of everything, and a very tired Mama and Papa at the end of the day. It was--in a word--exhausting. Why so different this year? I mean, we had Carolina along for the ride, but really that shouldn't have made it so energy-zapping. Part of it was that we really tried to do it all and to some degree we were more successful seeing things. Last year Elisa was too young for the amusement section so we skipped that all together and headed home. But not so much this year. She definitely wanted to ride the rides and try to win prizes at the games. We attempted both to some degree and I owe it to Nacho who kept her somewhat appeased throughout. But it was clearly draining and the kickingfest that ensued on the way out of there was annoying after all the good times. What is it about three year olds that they can't appreciate a good time? They always want MORE. And NOW. It's just part of the tyrannical threes, I guess, but it feels more demoralizing at times because they are older and wiser and should just know better, right? Ha ha ha...yes, I can hear the laughter. And part of me knows that this time is about her testing boundaries in new and exciting ways. It's just that when you spend so much time (and money) doing things that are supposed to be fun, you kind of expect to be thanked. Or at least not kicked and punched all the way to the car. Hmmmm...maybe next year?
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