Do you ever feel like social media puts pressure on you to do things or like things that aren’t normally your thing? You know you’re eating the secret ice cream that you hide from the kids, while scrolling Facebook and/or Instagram, and see all those perfectly posed pictures your friends’ loose acquaintances’ kids at the not so local farm; you think to yourself that your family would have so much fun there. I found myself in that scenario. Mind you, I actually did go to the not so local farm years ago and had vague memories that it wasn’t really my thing. However, I told myself it was because I was hugely pregnant at the time. Also, my friends wanted to go and we were getting a cool front. How bad could it be?
My friends and I had the best intentions. We were very excited about our Saturday adventure with the kids. The husbands decided to stay home (wise decision), so it was a moms and kids field trip. Everyone got decked out in their cutest Halloween attire to pick pumpkins and have fall fun. We ended up decked out to sit in traffic and go nowhere. We creeped half a mile on a 2 lane road for almost 2 hours. Tantrums were had by kids and adults. There was screaming, crying, and name calling. It was a LONG hour ride home.
Not to be defeated, one friend and I decided to go back the next day. We would get our kids in the corn maze if it killed us. We would not ruin their memories of Fall 2020. At the crack of dawn we loaded up in the vanborghini and hit the road AGAIN. Apparently the secret to getting into the farm is to get there when they open. We achieved our mission.
Was it worth 2 attempts and 5.5 total hours of driving? Not really. The kids had a blast. They enjoyed about 3 of the activities that were offered. THREE. We drove an hour for them to do 3 things. However, they did really enjoy it. We enjoyed watching them have fun. After an hour the adults were done. The zip line the kids loved so much was labor intensive for the moms since we had to assist them. There was no place for us to sit and relax while they played. So after an hour in the car, we stood for 2 hours as they played.
I knew it wasn’t my thing before I went. I let other people’s experiences on Fakebook (as my dad affectionately calls it) influence me. Did anybody post a picture of their kids pouting that they have to wait in a long line for said zip line? NO. Did anybody post a picture of their kids pouting over having to do his brother’s choice of activity before his turn to choose? NO. Did anybody admit to using the scary quiet voice and whispering in their kid’s ear “you will not ruin this fun family field trip!” NO.
Moral of the story: if your gut feeling is something isn’t your thing, that is ok! We are lucky that we live in a city with so much to offer. There are plenty of other activities to do with the kids that are your thing.
