The last couple of days we went to the city for the night just me and the boys to break the holidays up. Our first stop was for lunch and we went to one of those sports clubs. The type that are like cruise ships. Its like walking into another world. One that has no clocks, lots of flashing lights and that soft lulling music playing that has old people dancing during the day; something that seems strange during the day. It also has one of those kids area with a 12 am curfew that’s filled with everything a kids needs to playground and a couple of TV’s and a wii. A babysitter just like that. Mix that with cheap drinks and meals and its some idea of heaven.
This time was a our second time and it was packed to the brim with an unusual mix of older people, mothers and kids.
Turns out that Wednesday was (is) cheap buffet lunch. $8.00 will see you get a massive meal. Massive.
So combine a cheap meal that will keep a pensioner going all week and the school holidays and that’s a lot of people young and old in the one place.
The boys head straight into the glass cube where despite the sign on the door saying maximum 30 kids people like me trooped them in anyway while I ordered and attempted to find a table. That many kids in one spot has to be fun right?
Table found. Drinks got. Meals arrived I went in search of my children amongst the others in the glass cube. They found me instead.
We sat started to eat and conversation started. Mum B1 said chomping into a very over cooked piece of fish. Yeah baby. There is a lot of kids in there mum he said.
Yeah there is I said not thinking much of it. Its crazy he said people are being naughty..there are no rules mum..its crazy he said eyes wide trying to emphasises the crazy that was going on in the cube.
Yeah piped up B2 just to add his two bits worth. B3 the littlest stayed silent to him it was just fun. And I said seeing if there was any more.
We don’t really like it. Its not fun when you don’t have some rules..you know a few..they (meaning the kids) are just being naughty and silly he said looking at his brothers feeling confident he spoke for all.
Wow I said to them and that’s what I was thinking. I didn’t think he of all my children would find that admist all that chaos that there is rules for a reason; especially from a play room. Or that he wouldn’t like it. That they wouldn’t like it. I actually thought they especially my eldest would get involved in the crazy. He had always gravitated towards the cool bad boy kids.
It was at this moment I was seriously disappointed in myself that I had thought that of him of them my boys. That when it came to the crunch that they wouldn’t make the right decision. That’s no good I said so what are you doing (about it) I said. Trying to have some rules but they don’t care he said to me so we are just having our own they said.
Ah good idea I said. I was almost exploding with pride but trying to act cool at the same time so instead I said very mother like and that’s why we have some rules I said so we don’t get all crazy and everyone can enjoy things. Some rules are needed even when we want to have fun.
We left it at that. And they went back into the chaos after lunch for a play but when I was done it unusually it took no more than me to ask once for them to come.
So of course I used that line at least once over the two days..mummy has these rules of a reason.
Have your kids ever surprised you like that?
xx D
{image source from here with thanks}
