Into the Wayback Machine

MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN

We took a trip in the Wayback Machine tonight. It began as a simple idea: we'd take the two neighbor kids to the A&W for a root beer float to celebrate the end of summer. Thier dad was away on a business trip, and their mother welcomed the invitation as a chance to be alone for an hour or so...these two boys are 5 and 11 or so, and I had forgotten so much about what young boys are like without the strict guidance of their parents. The outing eventually included not only the root beer float but a trip up the observation tower on the university campus and a sundown hike along the Niagra Escarpment to an unknown (to them) little chapel in the woods. All rather idyllic, don't you think? Here are the parts their mother didn't hear about:
(most of this was the 5-yr. old, I must admit, but his brother instigated a bit, too)

1. Heads hanging out the window (though safely belted in) shouting at people, then attempting to spit out the window of a moving vehicle. In his defense, the 5-yr. old was willing to clean it off though less willing to hold on to the napkin after that.

2. At least ten references to "puking" in addition to other bodily functions and appendages peculiar to males. In addition, there were "rope burns" "knucklehead rubs" and short-hair pulling (that hair on the very bottom in the back...hurts like heck to have someone tug on it!)

3. Actual root beer leaking out of a facial orifice, though I'm not sure which one, as further funny references were made about the earlier-mentioned functions. Fortunately, napkins were in good supply, but I had to throw them away.

4. An incessant need to ring the bell in the A&W under a sign which read "Ring the bell if you enjoyed your food." Hey, they asked for it, but still, it was all I could do to get the guys out of there before the riot started.

5. Walking 'way too close to the edge of the observation tower which drove an already-nervous former mom to quit the premises (and drag the rest of us with her)prior to the actual sunset...which was striking.

Oh yeah, the guys drank so much root beer that at least one of them will be wetting the bed tonight. When my sweetie and I talked about a limit, we decided that such a thing was for their mother to deal with!

And yet, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Of course, they were not my children so I could be a bit more relaxed (though not to the point of their being totally naughty). The walk through the darkening woods was enhanced by the younger brother taking my hand for security, finding pheasant feathers (fortunately, one for each kid) and becoming quite interested in the rock formations...fantasizing about jumping down from the top and having great battles there. Swinging Tarzan-like on drooping tree roots and vines added an element of danger to the exercise, and the boys writing (or printing) their names in the ledger placed in the chapel for such a purpose gave them a sense of being someone.
Could I do this every day? probably not without a more strict regimen, but it certainly took me back to the days when exploring with little kids was about the most fun a person could have.
It's sad that our own kids are grown. They used to love this stuff, too.