Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner...But, When Can Baby Walk to the Corner Alone?

Last Friday I saw the stage production of Dirty Dancing. It. Was. SPECTACULAR! For that two hours, I was completely having the time of my life. They kept it very true to the movie, right down to the inflections in the actors' dialogue and the nuances of the dance choreography. It's such a nostalgic movie for me that I couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside, even as Dr. Houseman was tending to Penny's botched abortion.

It was at that point, however, that I thought, "Huh. I watched this movie when I was 8-years-old." ALL of my friends did--it was the hot sleepover hit of the year. Granted, much of the adult themes went right over our heads. For instance, I clearly remember explaining the movie to my parents and telling them that Penny got "knocked up" and watching their jaws drop. I had no clue what I was talking about. Mom explained it meant she was pregnant, but that wasn't a nice way to say it. But even with my new found lingo, they didn't forbid me from watching it and I am sure it made a showing at my own birthday party that year. Even so, I have to wonder, "will I let Lainey watch this in four years?"

The "when is it okay to" is a hot topic among my parent friends right now and something Mark and I have started debating frequently. I do think that, as a society, we've become a little too protective, or just downright paranoid. Every family's situation is different. Kids have different maturity levels and live in different communities, so there is no one age fits all for decisions. But, for the most part, it should be up to the parents to decide when there kid is old enough to do certain things like to walk to the park with friends or stay home for the afternoon alone. There have been so many new stories lately about parents being arrested or brought up on neglect charges simply for giving their kids a little more freedom than what their neighbor was comfortable with. So it freaks me out a little. Right now, I wouldn't let Lainey ride around the block by herself. I would probably let her do it with the eight-year-old who lives behind us. But, I would be worried. Not about Lainey or her safety, but about someone else judging the choice and calling the cops. When did we start making that leap?

Last Saturday, we let a 12-year-old babysit for Nick. I talked to her at our block party and she had just taken her babysitting class through Girl Scouts. We needed a sitter, so game on! It was for about three hours in the middle of the day and her parents were home just down the block. But, a few people I've talked to can't believe we did that. But, I babysat when I was 12. And to tell you the truth, she was probably more prepared and attentive that the teenagers we have sit. When we came home, she and Nick were playing together with his toys--not zoning out in front of the TV--AND she washed, dried, and put away all of the lunch dishes. She WILL be making a return visit to our house.

I guess this parenting thing just stays tough. You trade in one set of struggles and dilemmas for another as they grow. And the rules seem to keep changing as you go along. As always, I'll just try to enjoy the here and now, worry about the future stuff when the time comes, and focus on the really important questions of the present--like do we wait to show Lainey Star Wars until Nick is also old enough to see it? This is going to be a tough one for Mark...I'll just support him the best that I can.

We're Going to Disney World!

We did it! We booked the trip. Come March 6, 2016, we'll be headed to O'Hare to board a flight to sunny Orlando. Mark and I started talking about a trip to Disney World a few months ago. We went back and forth on going next year or waiting another year, but settled on next spring right before Nick turns three--because that's that magic age when we have to buy him a ticket (and that savings isn't chump change).

I have an inside contact at Disney who gave me advice on the hotel room, which was nice and helpful. She also does a lot of the VIP bookings/events and is going to try to get us preferred viewing at the parades. Fingers crossed!

We're splurging a bit on the room with a one-bedroom villa, but a) we got a really great deal and b) the convenience and amenities it's going to offer will be worth it. I don't know how my parents vacationed with us all in one hotel room over the years, but I will go nuts--I need a little space. And no matter how you dice it, a trip to Disney is EXPENSIVE. So, I'd rather pay a little more and have a lot more comfort and reduce my stress level. Plus, the kitchen will allow us to save on meals and the washer and dryer will let us cut-down on packing. We'll also be very close to the Magic Kingdom, so getting back to the room for the kids to nap will be doable (and from what I hear, a nap is the smart thing to do, even if you have to cut out some attractions).

Now the big question...can I keep this mum from the kids for the next six-plus months? Mickey, here we come!!!

Let's Go Fly a Kite

I'm not sure how it's the second week of August already. Summer has been an absolute blur this year. Luckily, it's felt so fast, because we've been having so much fun! The last two weekends have been particularly nice, because instead of having major events, we've had time to just enjoy some family time and do the little things that make summer special...bike rides to the forest preserve, trips to the park, ice creams before dinner, and just hanging out in the backyard.

The big hit last weekend was finally having the perfect day to break out the kite we bought back in April. Lainey owned that thing like a boss. Mark barely had to give her any instruction, she just took the string and went with it. She was much better at keeping it in the air than I was, so rather than be schooled by my four-year-old, I chose to roll around in the grass with Nick. Everyone won!

In other Lainey news, she finally conquered the monkey bars and I caught her new skill on video this past Friday evening. I have to say the kid is pretty coordinated and she seems to dig group games, so we decided to sign her up for soccer. I'm excited to see how she likes it!

Next weekend things start to heat up again on the 'ole Brandi schedule and will stay pretty busy through Labor Day, but I'm determined to drink up every last day of summer we can get.

A quick tutorial from Dad

Testing it out...

She's got this!