It’s been a long time coming. And it still takes something that’s either really important or something we think the boys will really enjoy, but we’re making more of an effort to get the boys out of the house and into the world a little more.
With most things, it’s simple logistics. Three kids with one parent is rare, unless it’s a relatively closed environment or short duration. Three kids with two parents is better, though it can still be a challenge.
Wednesday night, the local fire department hosted the annual Christmas party for families. Even as a new recruit (one year of training and probationary status), Daddy is now a local firefighter. The event centers around kids – with kid-friendly food (hot dogs and chips and soda), a big bouncy slide, and pictures with Santa Claus.
We braved the snow and ice and cold to take the boys. We had very mild expectations of how it would go. Strange place, lots of strange people, loud noises, and a posed picture with an odd looking man they didn’t know.
The food went over well for Sawyer. He enjoyed chips and bread (no hot dog, of course) and Mountain Dew. Xander ate a few chips, but quickly discovered he would rather “slide” than eat. Connor had discovered the slide as soon as we walked in the doors – and eating went completely out of his head until hours later, when he told us at home how hungry he suddenly felt.
All three boys actually really enjoyed the slide, each in his own way. There were also some small toys for each child (think children’s party type prizes). Our kids picked the most annoying – a plastic horn (Connor) and two plastic flutes (Sawyer and Xander).
Oh. My. Goodness. Annoying does not even begin to cover these toys. They’re in the closet. And they might get accidentally placed in the recycling bin one day very soon.
The final event was pictures with Santa. Our number was one of the last ones in the group. At some point we will get copies, which we don’t have yet, and I will post them. They are going to be priceless.
We were, of course, the last in our group of 10. The boys had to sit in the Santa room, waiting as all 9 other families did their picture with Santa. Connor and Xander were bored. Sawyer wanted very much to escape. We corralled them and waited our turn.
And then the screaming and crying began. Xander started with the screaming, quickly followed by Sawyer tearing up and trying to hide. We took one family photo that way. Connor was perfectly willing, so we put him in Santa’s lap and let him take another one by himself. That one will probably turn out pretty well.
And that was our Christmas party night. The boys wanted to slide some more, but it was getting late and it was a school night (though school would later end up being cancelled). And we were kind of exhausted from the whole event.
Small steps … getting the boys out a little more, forcing them out of their comfort zones and into normal, everyday interactions with the world. It’s not always fun, but it’s certainly necessary. And it gets a little bit easier – for them and for us – every single time.
