Kids just want to have fun. But, before kids can have fun, adults usually have to put in a lot of work.
Let me give you an example. Have you ever tried to get a kid ready to go outside to play in the snow? All you need to do is find warm clothes, warm socks, snow pants, snow coat, boots, hat, and gloves/mittens.
And once you gather all these things together, you must actually get them on your child! (Then multiply that by the number of children you have.) It takes from five to 45 minutes to get each child ready.
We have four children, so that’s somewhere between 20 minutes and 13 hours to get kids dressed and winterized. (You think I’m exaggerating? You’ve never tried to get a 4-year-old into a pair of mittens.
“Stick your thumb out. No, not yet. When I get it part way on, then stick your thumb out. Now! Now! Put your thumb out now and get it into the thumb-spot. Is it there? No, not your pinkie finger. It needs to be your thumb. Arrghh!”)
All that for 10 minutes of outside play before they have to take it all off to come inside and go potty. But that’s not the only time kid fun equals adult work.
Have you ever tried to go swimming with kids? What does a kid need to do? Put on a swimsuit. That’s it. What does a parent need to do? Gather the swimsuits. Get some towels. Don’t forget the sunscreen. You’ll need some swim diapers. Yes, this pool requires plastic pants to go over the top of the swim diapers. Hats. Some kind of shade. Make sure to bring some water to keep them hydrated. Swim toys? Noodles? Floaties? You did remember the sunscreen, right? A trip to the pool is a lot of work.
We went to Disneyland last year. Do you know what that means? My wife spent hours and hours planning the trip, finding the best deals, getting a good hotel room, and figuring out the itinerary.
And those suitcases don’t pack themselves. What did the kids do? They climbed in the minivan.
Have you ever tried to throw a birthday party for a kid? Lots of fun for them; lots of work for you.
Yes, kids just want to have fun. The problem is, by the time adults do all the work needed so the kids can have fun, the adults need a vacation.
And vacations are a lot of work! For more funny-ish stuff, check out slowjoe40.com. (Capell is a Serve Daily contributor.)
