In this world of 3D movies, motion-capture video games, and tablet computers, it’s nice to know that kids still love the basics. This weekend we went to a local health fair. Imagine stands hawking the benefits of brushing and flossing next to tables giving away sno-cones. Child Harbat saw the bounty of activities and instantly identified her trifecta of preferences: ponies, face-painting, and jumping. Ready? Here we go!
It doesn’t matter that we waited in line for twenty minutes. It doesn’t matter the actual ride was about three minutes. It DOES matter that she got the pony with pink and blue tassles. The handler trotted the ponies the last few feet of the ride, much to the delight of the children, especially to the little boy who wailed and clung to the saddle horn because he didn’t want to get off. So…kids love ponies. How about face painting?
The clown that applied this was likely a cashier in her day job. Bored half-lidded eyes, impatient demeanor. Did she bark, “Next!” at each kid in line or did I just imagine it? No matter, CH was transformed into Hello Kitty and stopped every stranger in the fair to tell them of this fact. Extroverts—sheesh!
Aaaaaaand, we’re on to jumping. Didn’t I write about this before? Once granted entry into the inner sanctum, CH and five of her closest strangers commenced jumping. Would it cease to be fun after the tenth jump? No. The twentieth? No. The thirtieth? Stop asking me, Babbo.
So we conclude that kids these days, with all their newfangled interwebs and whoozy-majingles, still recognize good clean fun when they see it. Especially when they see it through oversized popsicle sunglasses.
Writer, architect, father, husband.
The best! That’s my girl! How can you argue with such a good thing?
I think sometimes kids can be too wrapped up in modern technolgy. IT is all about basics and encouraging them to use their imagination. Have you had your face painted? Wonder what sort of job she would make of it 🙂
I have had my face painted by my daughter–it was more of a performance art piece. Here’s a post about the masterwork: http://psoutowood.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/terrible-two-and-a-half/
The expression on CH’s face atop the pony says it all.