2024, animals, Family, Kids

YA Appreciation Day

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Zoos and animal parks are some YAs and my favorite places to visit. Minnesota Zoo, Como Zoo, Fawn-Doe-Rosa, Carlson Llama Farm – these are our local haunts.  Zoos and animals parks are also, in my experience, the places with the highest percentage of child meltdowns around. 

YA was a very easy child (we’re just talking child here, not teenager!) so I have zero experience with a melting down child.  She abandoned the idea of the stroller by the time she was three and never looked back.  She never ran around in a zoo restaurant.  She never banged on the glass to get the attention of the spotted leopard on the other side.  She never pushed another child out of the way to get a better look at a penguin.  She never had a tantrum of any kind when we were out and about.  Never.

Over the years, YA has heard me extol her virtues as a child a lot.  Way too much from her experience.  So I work hard to keep my lips zipped because these days any time I say something I get a massive eye roll and usually an exasperated “I know”.  But it’s difficult because every visit guarantees some bad behavior on the part of children who are over-tired, over-stimulated and probably hungry to boot.  The examples in the second paragraph all happened yesterday at the Zoo. 

So I stroll along with YA, thinking to myself what a wonderful child she was and what a terrific young adult she had turned out to be, all the while saying NOTHING.  NOTHING.  I wonder if one of these days my head will just explode.

Occasionally she will let me take her picture, although sometimes bribery is involved.  The above picture cost me a trip to Dairy Queen.

What summer treat would I need to bribe you with for a photo?

36 thoughts on “YA Appreciation Day”

  3. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    Anything chocolate, an Annie’s Parlor Hot Fudge Sundae, a gift card for art supplies, a guaranteed beautiful Minnesota Spring day with nothing scheduled.

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    2. This dog is such a comfort to Lou–she is very attentive. Now that we are through this initial phase of the illness, I will be doing things to care for myself. As soon as I can access respite care with one of the regular care providers, I plan to take a weekend off!

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  5. I used to be hesitant about photos, and then I watched a gentleman strike a big goofy pose when I was taking show photos and that struck me as so PERFECT – not only for suiting his personality, but for the act of having your picture taken. Why NOT strike a pose? And I’ve kinda been doing it ever since. The pose might be me looking grumpy, or making a face, or whatever strikes me at the time.

    I’m an easy bribe. What’ta ya got? 🙂

    XDFBen

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  9. Garden veggies almost any choice will do

    I was thinking tomato and raspberry but in reality any fresh from the garden veggies work

    lemonade with lemons left in

    cocoa butter rub on a sunny beach

    day on a sailboat

    my ice cream in the day was double chocolate chip with a tub of real peanut butter and a large spoon

    daughter buys the good peanut butter

    my house stocks skippy in large quantities

    more raspberries

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