I once swore I’d never take L to another marionette show. (You should click over and read that post, it’s a good one, I’ll wait….) At the time it seemed like a plausible thing to do, even though I doubted that I’d do it. I knew even then that one day the memory would fade and my hope for a fun outing would eclipse the dusty memory of a disaster.
That time has arrived. Next week the very same theater is putting on a marionette version of Pinocchio. L loves Pinocchio. (Which, by the way, is full of kidnappings, smoking children and donkey morphing, all of which I didn’t really remember or notice until I watched it as a mother.) He is four now, is he big enough? Surely the m&m debacle won’t repeat itself. But could it be a good outing?
Any outing that involves something new and potentially exciting, something new and potentially boring, any waiting, any sitting still, and any expectation of quiet on L’s behalf is an outing full of potential pitfalls – an outing that gives me anxiety. But then I think of how fun it could be, how different and special it could be. And all of that hope outweighs my anxiety and my right mind and I go ahead and do it. And then I end up bitterly disappointed and swear off any such thing ever again, again.
So, what to do? Buy the tickets? Give it a shot? He is getting big and sometimes he’s actually, surprisingly, well-behaved.
hmmm, it is his favourite story. Then again, kids are so unpredictable that one is left sometimes to just flip a coin. I know it sounds like there should be a better way to make this decision but to me it sounds like a “flip the coin and see” moment. Good luck with whatever decision you make hun.
The post about the first marionette experience was hilarious… and a strong reminder for me to not use candy to reward my future children during potty training. Hopefully, no one who was there the first time around will be there this time
I’d recommend dying your hair and wearing a disguise– just in case.
I think as long as you keep in mind that it could be worse, this outing will be fine.
“Sure, he played leap-frog with the unsuspecting people sitting beside us, kicking at least 4 of them in the head, but at least he didn’t take out a machine gun and start taking out audience members from the stage while talking about his last bowel movement!”
See? And, if you wear the disguise, no one will even know it’s you.
Good luck with the puppet show! I hope you all have a blast!
This could work for me. There’s no way he’s going to get his hands on a machine gun, so just about any situation could be worse.
I say go – special mom & L date if you can swing it. Get there just a few minutes before show time, sit toward the back. Bring your own m&ms.
mom & kid theatre dates are among my favorites (though I’ve never tried marionettes…)
Well I stumbled on your blog after my sister was on my computer the other night and I don’t think I have laughed that hard in a very long time it was so funny and heartfelt I love it! I have 2 daughters they are 22 and 19 but can still totally relate to everything you are saying. You are so lucky to have this outlet and support from other mothers on the internet. On this last post about the outing he is 2 years older now and even though the first outing to the marionettes was not fun for you but I bet it was for him, kids will remember it differently they just remember spending fun time with Mom so we sometimes do things we don’t want to do and even though it will probley be a disaster but only for you not for him! Just have fun with him its not always going to be this easy. Ha Ha I know just wait this is the fun part!
Good Luck cant wait to hear how it goes!
Do it. That’s my vote.either it’s a success or a great blog post. You have anxiety mess,night?
parenting is anxiety personified. Either way something utterly crazy could happen, so I say go for it! I’ve gone both ways. Stayed home, and had a whopper of a day there, or gone ahead and tried something crazy, and been utterly amazed, completely disappointed and/or got a hilarious story out of it. Good luck!
P.s. I hear ya on the story elements. There have been so many books/movies I realized as a Mom “WTF is this?! I never realized this story was sooooooo…. “
But those WTF stories are good for kids. Story is how they make sense of the world, learn that you can survive tough stuff and that you should never talk to wolves in the woods. Better to sort through that in a book than as a teenager.
Ha! The marionette post. An oldie but goodie. One of the first I ever read on your blog!
This time, go with low expectations and a big bag of M&Ms.
I love your blog. I’ve been debating starting one for a while and after reading yours I finally did! I have a feeling that your life with L is giving me a look into my future with Monkey.
.. pinocchio, i saw it the other day with my daughter. It’s kind of a twisted story,, my daughter was constantly asking “mama, why did pinocchio turn into a donkey?” me responding in way to scare her off the wrong thing lol “oh sweety, that’s what happens to kids that don’t listen to what they’re are being told to do, and to those that talk to strangers” She kind of looked a little terrified after i told her that. ´Then i had to explain.. that no they don’t litterly turn into donkeys, and that it’s just a cartoon. She calms down. lol.
I echo the votes for “go, but take your low expectations with you.” It could be a completely lovely mother-son event. Last summer, my newly 3-year-old Peasy didn’t even make it through the opening number of Annie, but that’s because she was terrified of Hs. Hannigan. So, given that it’s his favorite story, it may be fine. But be willing to leave if it’s not.
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Okay, I’m late to the party. And by now I know you did it, and it went pretty well. But I want to give my .02 anyway. When friends ask how I take my (terrible) boys out to activities every day, I tell them my only secret is fearlessness. I know every outing is going to be a total disaster, complete with public humiliation, tantrums, danger, exhaustion, seemingly unbearable stress, and a lot of disappointment. But I refuse to live in fear! I’m going to keep taking those little monsters out, dammit. And someday it’s going to start going well.