Science, again, with grumpy feelings
I've been to the local science museum this week twice, with just Skipper and then today with both kids and Cook. Skipper mostly hung out in the little-kids area. She liked watching the other kids. Both Cook and I were struck by the phenomenon of kids playing while their parents stood beside them, texting (and occasionally taking photos of their kids, presumably to be immediately posted to facebook). This is ubiquitous behavior, but we haven't been spending much time lately around small-kid-attracting places, so we've been re-sensitized. And it's not like we were paying any more attention to our kids, or engaging more with the environment,* just because we weren't on the phone.** But the phone thing feels creepy to me, somehow, and I can't really pick out exactly why.
Dutch did engage with some science, but I was too grumpy to appreciate it. She was driving me completely up the wall by her reflexive response to EVERY SINGLE exhibit/activity, which was to walk up to it, stare at it for half a second, then turn to me and say "What is this?" to which I would say "I don't know. Maybe you should READ THE DAMN SIGN!"*** Then Dutch would read the sign, do something with the exhibit, walk to the next exhibit, turn to me, and say "What is this?"
Anyway. Maybe I should try to get more sleep. And we DID have fun, when I wasn't busy being grumpy.
* We both, on our tours of Skipper-duty, spent lots of time sitting limply on small chairs, staring off into space. Quality parenting time is very valuable to us...
**We still have our antique cell phone, which has no camera, no internet, and only prepaid minutes on it. We usually forget to turn it on- we mostly use it when the kids are in childcare or when we're traveling - and today, as is often the case on weekends, we left it at home.
*** I've regained some of my voice, but I still sound like a heavy-smoking ogre, which made this exercise even more painful.
Dutch did engage with some science, but I was too grumpy to appreciate it. She was driving me completely up the wall by her reflexive response to EVERY SINGLE exhibit/activity, which was to walk up to it, stare at it for half a second, then turn to me and say "What is this?" to which I would say "I don't know. Maybe you should READ THE DAMN SIGN!"*** Then Dutch would read the sign, do something with the exhibit, walk to the next exhibit, turn to me, and say "What is this?"
Anyway. Maybe I should try to get more sleep. And we DID have fun, when I wasn't busy being grumpy.
* We both, on our tours of Skipper-duty, spent lots of time sitting limply on small chairs, staring off into space. Quality parenting time is very valuable to us...
**We still have our antique cell phone, which has no camera, no internet, and only prepaid minutes on it. We usually forget to turn it on- we mostly use it when the kids are in childcare or when we're traveling - and today, as is often the case on weekends, we left it at home.
*** I've regained some of my voice, but I still sound like a heavy-smoking ogre, which made this exercise even more painful.
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