Enter the world according to Bonnie - the humorous ramblings   and reflections of a wife, mother, grandmother - but most of all - woman. My thoughts often revolve around family issues but also include my observations about everyday life.

Each week - or as often as possible - I'll post a new column about life as I see it from my  little corner of the world.

Hopefully you will find something that resonates with you or brings a smile to your face. If you do, pass it on to someone else.                                                                   

I fell a little behind during a recent business trip so will post two columns next week in order to catch up. I have added an extra recipe this week as a bonus! Enjoy

August 25, 2008

Bare Naked Baby in the Park

My daughter and I decided to take her son to the park across the street to burn off a little of that extra energy two-year olds always seem to have. We foolishly thought we’d spend 20 minutes or so playing, then take him home and settle him down for a nap. 

As a grandparent I should have known better – but chalk it up to senior moments and the joy of seeing the world through his eyes – that the memories of my children’s past behavior stayed fuzzy. Sometimes wisdom is displaced by giggles and squeals of laughter.

Little did we know that the park service had turned on the water feature – an offer way too tempting for a two-year old to resist on a warm, summer day. The area is an oval of about 12 by 20 feet with a soft foam base and consists of a metal upright ring that sprays water for children to run through, a post that squirts water at three different levels and several openings that shoot water about 8 feet into the air. So much for 20 minutes at the park and then home for a nap!

He had insisted on wearing his Ughs (I have photos of myself wearing a snowsuit in July in the Mojave Desert so perhaps it’s hereditary) which his mom removed as we stood at the edge of the play area. He began to struggle with his shirt so I helped him take that off. It seemed like a good idea at the time since that would give him something dry to wear home later. We hadn’t come prepared to play in the water so hadn’t brought a towel.

His shorts followed and in very short order his diaper joined the pile. At this point all you can do is sigh, mutter, “Oh, well,” and try not to look too embarrassed. Luckily the father of two little girls, who I would guess to be 5 and 7 and also enjoying a refreshing dash through the cool spray, just laughed and said he guessed the boy didn’t want to have a tan line. Obviously a parent who has faced a few of those moments himself. 

Since I was the only person present who had been through several cycles of babyhood to adulthood – I should have seen this coming. I know to expect the unexpected where children are concerned. 

I’m the one who has watched children slither through a hole in the fence too small for a Chihuahua, put dish soap in the spa (amazing how many bubbles a little bit of dish soap can produce) and attempt to practice their latest gymnastic moves by hanging upside down on the clothing rack in the store. Every parent has had moments when they wished a big hole would open and swallow them up (either swallow you or your children – there are times when you are not particular). 

Apparently there is something in the human psyche that compels us to believe, “that won’t happen to me” or “not my child” so we blithely move forward in life with expectations in tact. Perhaps it’s a remnant of an ancient coping instinct from an era when life was more precarious – when saber tooth tigers and diseases without cures could snap people up at an alarming rate.

So what to do when faced with one of those moments? If it’s merely embarrassing and not dangerous, then don’t sweat the small stuff. 

You’ll need ammunition available for the truly important impressions you need to make on your children. The “look before you cross the street,” the “don’t parachute off the roof” or the “just because other kids try drugs doesn’t mean that you should be foolish enough to join them” moments when instilling a healthy dose of fear that you are the avenging angel of death if they do those things, is a necessary evil.

My advice, grin – and let the bare, naked baby dance in the park. Copyright 2008 Bonnie Phelps