My Kid, the Tag Along
The only downside to my son's charming life is that he is an unwilling passenger in the minivan as I drive kids to and from activities. As a 6-year-old he cannot be left home alone, so he must tag along as I drive the 10- and 13-year-olds to and from volleyball practices, clarinet lessons, swim meets, and after school activities. He spends many afternoons and evenings in the minivan. At 10 and 13, his sisters have figured out what sports and activities they both want to do through high school. Both girls have chosen sports where the games are not one-hour soccer games, but all-day volleyball tournaments and swim meets, and the practices are two or more times per week. Often the meets and tournaments are a significant distance from our home. By comparison my son plays soccer, basketball, and t-ball -- all one game and practice per week close to our home.
My son leads a charmed life. As the youngest child in our family, he embraces his "baby of the family" role. He's the youngest grandchild on both sides -- and the only boy. His chores and family-related tasks are not what you would call hardcore. He is charmed, indeed.
My husband and I tag team as much as possible when driving the preteen and teen to their activties. Problems arise when one parent is heading to a volleyball tournament at the South Germantown Recreational Park in Germantown, Maryland, while the other parent is headed to a swim meet at Madeira School in McLean, Virginia. It is hard to ignore a slightly grumpy 6-year-old as the minivan hurtles in the direction of a sporting event in the early morning hours.
Once at our destination I unpack the supplies to keep my son occupied: his own soccer chair; a Zip-n-Go-Blanket; a cooler packed with water, juice bags, snacks, and fruit; and a Nintendo DS Lite. Each item helps make the day a little more tolerable for my son as we watch the game or swim meet, but the best solution for long days is to break up the day with excursions to places local to the venue.
At a recent volleyball tournament at the South Gemrnantown Recreational Park in Germantown, Maryland, I took my son to the Dairy Mooseum during a break in the tournament. The Dairy Mooseum -- and yes I do make a high pitched mooing sound each time I say it -- is located inside a large barn opposite the Maryland Soccerplex, home of the women's professional soccer team -- Washington Freedom. The barn, open during the day for scheduled school groups, was closed when we visited. A flyer in a mailbox on the door of the barn featured a follow the numbers guided tour. As we walked around the perimeter of the barn, I pointed out a window through which he could see an old fashioned milking machine and various sizes of milk churns. As we rounded the corner of the barn, we saw the silo where grain was stored for feeding the cows. By looking at a distant soccer field, I located the fields where cows grazed.
As I read another part of the brochure, I noticed that my son was completely fascinated by a caterpillar. He sank to his knees and played with the caterpillar for about 10 minutes before I gently encouraged him to run around the Tot Lot adjacent to the Dairy Mooseum. I raced him around the Tot Lot to tire him out before we made our way back to the volleyball tournament. I was grateful for the Dairy Mooseum, the Tot Lot, and the caterpillar for making my son's day a little brighter.
My son's turn will come. At some point when he is 10 or so he will choose a sport or activity that requires a larger time commitment than one weekly practice and a Saturday game. For now, I will gladly take him to his soccer, basketball, and t-ball games. I'll even drag along an extremely grumpy teen and her equally surly preteen sister to cheer him on at his game. Paybacks are tough!
The Dairy Mooseum will be open on Saturday, June 27 as part of the 12th Annual Montgomery County Heritage Days.
This is an original post to DC Metro Moms Blog. When not driving a kid, a preteen, and a teen to sports and activities, Jill Berry blogs about a kid, a preteen, and a teen at Musings from Me.
