Finding my happy place

Glen left for Newark about 30 minutes ago, and already my suggested plans for the day have been panned by a pretty tough audience, led by a seven-year-old.

Disneyland? "Nope."

The Kids Club at the Claremont Club? "Boring!"

Victoria Gardens to ride the choo-choo train? "Meh."

More notable to me than being rejected at every turn is my befuddlement about my own restlessness. I was raised in a home where idleness and loafing around was not only discouraged, but rarely happened. My mom was not the type to spend  Sunday morning in her jammies (which, gentle reader, the author of this blog is currently doing). To the contrary, there was always something to do, projects to be completed, homework to research, weeds to pull, groceries to buy, or parties to plan. While it was not necessarily uncommon for John, Julie, and me to park ourselves in front of the television to watch classic Warner Bros. cartoons, mom was disinclined to join us. In fact, she never did.

So it should come as no surprise to me that I find myself on this gorgeous Sunday morning, itching to leave the house and just "do something." And the kids would very much prefer that I drop everything and just watch them play and do crazy things with their stuffed animals ... or, better yet, join in the fun.

Why I find it so difficult to sit back, relax, and watch them do what they do best - be kids - is somewhat puzzling to me. This is something that Glen excels at. Mind you, I have no problem with giving them unrestricted play time; it's just that I am not very good at being their audience while they do so, and lately they are very, very interested in making sure that I pay careful attention to their activities, be it building Lego, setting up play scenarios with Barbie dolls, or role playing with stuffed tigers and elephants. I confess that I'd rather hole up in the office and web browse. You know, do my thing.

For now, the kids are pretty content being home bodies. They've taken most of the pillows and quilts off of their beds and created a cushy fort at the landing of the stairs. They have unburied the small Spider Man Happy Meal toy that was stored under David's captain's bed. Elizabeth has already had two wardrobe changes. The tea party/breakfast that we had in her room this morning is all cleaned up. David is content in his Kung Fu Panda pajamas. Elizabeth is unpacking her Fisher Price Little People. And "Sponge Bob Square Pants" is playing in the background.

I know pretty soon that David and Elizabeth will be hinting that it's time to go outside to ride bikes. On such a beautiful Southern California day, I'd be a dope to discourage this. I guess it's time to pull on a pair of jeans and tennis shoes.