Bad Parents

A week back we went to the movies and saw How to Train Your Dragon, which the kids loved, though it was a bummer because the movie is made for 3D, but the theater wasn't equipped for it, so no 3D. That didn't deter from our enjoyment of the movie, however, and the kids went nuts for it.

Fast forward to this past weekend, when we were having our separate boys/girls day out, which is becoming a family tradition. R had a meeting to go to, and A wanted to tag along, don't ask me why. Actually, it sort of makes sense. A wanted to go to work with R for "Bring your daughter to work" day, but it didn't work out and she felt somewhat cheated. Wanting to make up for lost time, she thought it would work to attend this meeting, which she was welcome to attend, but I don't think she put too much thought into what was going to go on.

It turns out that not only did the meeting start late (one hour late!), but it bored her to tears. R warned her to bring books and other assorted entertainment, but I think she was ill prepared for just how boring the meeting was going to be, kind of like 99.9% of all meetings. Anyway, the meeting went for at least two hours, during which A was extremely well behaved (the meeting attendees commented as such), but I think she was disappointed. After all, she was hoping to spend quality time with mom.

N & myself, on the other hand, had a grand old time. We went blading, and had pizza and popcorn for lunch, and even sneaked into the parking garage and go to blade on the smooth concrete. It was funny, because we were on the top floor of the garage and I could spy our car in the parking lot, so I knew something was up. They were still in the building, and I assumed that they were having tea at the food court, or something like that. Little did I realize that they were still in the meeting.

We met up afterward at the library, and A was so bummed. In an effort to lift her spirits, the idea of seeing "Dragon" again came up, and she perked up. They loved the idea, the question was, would mom and dad be into it? Then we came up with a plan, which in some parent's eyes may have made us look like bad parents. The inspiration for this plan came from the previous week.

As we were exiting the theater after the first time we saw Dragon, there was a mom waiting for her kids at the exit. She had taken her kids into seeing Dragon, then she and her husband went into the adjoining theater and watched "Date Night." The times were identical. We thought, why not?

Of course, on the day that we were going to attempt this, a few of our friends happened to be in the theater, as well. Long lost friends, all of them former Quechee residents who lived in Hanover or Norwich. This was a little embarrassing, and we spent some time explaining ourselves, but what are you going to do. I didn't really want to sit through Dragon one more time, and our friends B&N were sitting right next to them. We got them some popcorn and a drink, then left them to their own devices. They were thrilled to be on their own.

Meanwhile, we sat through Date Night, which was good, but not necessarily great. I felt comfortable with the plan, and we checked on the kids a few times, but part of me felt a little guilty. Then again, we're around these guys 24/7, they probably can't wait to get away from us.

Afterward, we met them in the hallway, their movie let out before ours, and I wanted them to stay in their seats, but they came out into the hall. B&N were trying to convince them to wait in the lobby where they could sit down, but they stood their ground and waited right there. We were proud of them, but next time I'll make sure they don't have to wait for us.

So we came out of it in one piece. Sure, we left them on their own, but the end result is we all had fun. Then it was off to Boloco for supper, and the end to a (mostly) fun day.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to foxumon for the pic.