Will You Go Out With Me?

Ah the single life! I remember those days well. When I could sleep in on Saturdays and stay in my pajamas all day long. Those days are gone. Today, sleeping in is an urban legend.

As far as staying in my pajamas all day, this is not a viable option. The main reason is that my son wants to go out. I’m not sure what happened, but he hit 15 months and all of a sudden he is obsessed with leaving the apartment. He finishes breakfast and as soon as he gets down from the high chair, he walks over to the front door of the apartment, points to it and babbles in his alien baby language. He wants out. I haven’t even had my coffee yet, I can’t even fathom leaving the apartment.

Usually, I’m pretty good about taking him where he wants to go; out. We leave the house when I am properly caffeinated, relatively clean and dressed. But the other day, I had a paper to write for my graduate level education class. My dad graciously offered to take my little man to the playground.

I accepted, but with one condition; he must take pictures. Here’s what he came back with:

It looked like my son had a great time. On the one hand I was glad he got to spend time with his grandpa. On the other hand, I felt guilty that I handed him off to my dad and that I wasn’t with him to experience to the playground myself. Instead I was stuck inside comparing and contrasting the educational philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E. Du Bois.

The next day, I faced my mom guilt and took him on a playground excursion of my own:

I have realized that my child is at a point where he needs to get out every day. It is non-negotiable. He can no longer sit with a bunch of toys and play in the house for long periods of time. He is ready to get outside and run around.