The Rite of the Happy Meal

There are certain things I dreamed about doing as a parent. Ordering a Happy Meal was one of them. Mini fries and chicken McNuggets are my rite of passage. As a parent, I have proudly earned that badge and I wear it with pride. Another is buying and/or making Halloween costumes. I remember last year, J and I saw this ridiculously cute costume for E that was of course way overpriced. We passed. That night, I tossed and turned. I wanted that costume, dammit. We came back the next day, plunked down $29.95 (plus $5 extra for the tights) and that girl was the cutest gosh darn watermelon you ever saw. As badly as J and I wanted our children, I can also match how badly I want and can't wait to do things with them.

Today I thought it would be great to buy a mini pumpkin and have Birdie finger paint it as his 10 month old way of decorating it. Target had the mini pumpkin but when I went into the art and crafts aisle for finger paint, I was greeted by THREE different kinds, and all of them said, "No Mess Finger Paint" on them. I stood there quizzically... until I snapped out of it and realized E was in the next aisle over, with said pumpkin in hand, rolling it on the floor like a bowling ball, and L had pulled down a hanging display of glue sticks. Back to the finger paint. Each boasted it's own qualities: use me on special paper and the paint appears! clear! dries quickly! But, it was their rite to make a mess, I thought. I don't want clear finger paints that only show up on special $8 paper as much as they don't want it. We want REAL finger paints!  After my mini-tantrum, E handed me a package of window crayons as if to say, Umm, here Mommy. Point taken child.

Having another kid means being able to relive those rites of passage over again, through new eyes.

Halloween here we come. ;)