Indy: Mommy, do you want me to kill everything?
Me: do you know what that means?
Indy: Yes. It’s a mommy and a daddy and when you’re married.
——
Indy: (flapping arms) Mommy, I’m an angel , tell me I’m beautiful
Me: do you know what an angel is?
Indy: It’s a kind of blue bird and it eats trees!
On paper it was a perfect idea. The beginning of whale watching season has just begun and all local reports are showing favorable odds for glimpsing one.
We had put ourselves at a disadvantage by starting the day with a tired kid; we’d gone to the Arboretum the day before where Indy ran herself ragged. Then M and I had an adults-only dinner leaving Indy with a sitter who lets her stay up late. We were handicapped and didn’t know it.
We also learned that three year old children do not want to see whale tails, they want to see whole and full whales, preferably in a tank or suspended in mid-air as part of a museum display. Needless to say, she was bored, uncomfortable and cranky. Mommy and daddy paid the emotional price. We were all zapped by the end. See you in 10 years whales!
We went to the Arboretum in Arcadia on Saturday with some good friends. It was warm and spring-like with all the fresh blooms, seasonal geese, local ducks and wild peacocks — it was hard to imagine there might be a blizzard on the east coast.
