BOY TRAPPED

Where the inside of my mind leaks onto the screen.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Wow, They Grow Up Fast

About 9 months or so ago, Kirk and I signed up as members of the West Valley Fitness Center. One of the coolest things they have there is called the "Edutainment Center." (Yeah, I do know how to spell). This place is SO cool. They have a little miniature grocery store complete with kid-sized carts and shelves stocked with empty food containers. They have a DDR game, some exercise bike games, a miniature theater with a stage, curtains, and box office, and equipment that makes even the best McDonald's Play Place look like CrackerJacks box toys.

Adam knows this place by one name: The Fun Place. He recognizes the outside of the building. He LOVES it there. When I first started taking him, he was a little too small and a lot to tentative to navigate the equipment by himself. He couldn't climb up the various levels, and anything that moved or swayed terrified him. Fast forward to last night.

Adam asked me to come play with him, so I broke the rules (hey... I'm the size of some of the 13 year olds I've seen in there) and followed him through the maze of equipment. We climbed up a long tunnel, grabbing at various hand- and foot-holds along the way. We went through a tunnel that spins while you go through it. We went around, over, and through all sorts of navigational hazards, and at one point I had to ask a group of girls which way Adam had gone; I couldn't keep up. He raced up a series of tunnels that have small ladder-like grooves cut into them. This part was once specific part he didn't used to be able to do by himself. Again, I couldn't keep up. I had to stop to rest because my knees hurt so badly. He had found the rocketship which doubles as the time machine from "Meet the Robinsons." We spent a minute or two "in the future," then he led me to the black slide. After a few seconds of pitch black downward motion, we both landed on the ground. "Let's do it again, Mommy! Come on!" he begged. But Mommy was exhausted.

The whole thing just made me swell with motherly pride as I saw the confidence and ability Adam has gained over the last 9 months. I'm not quite sure when it happened, but I think my insecure toddler has turned into a real boy.

1 comments:

Jay said...

Congratulations on the real boy lol jk. It is amazing how quickly they take off & we are standing there thinking wait you couldn't even walk like yesterday where are you going. Those toys are built to hold lots of weight I am sure you were ok. I have chased my kids through the one at Chuck E Cheese.

Jay