I chose not take the advice from friends who suggested taking a 21 month old and a 2 month old to the circus this past weekend would be a bad idea. “They won’t even make it to intermission.”
Although correct in that my 21 month old, Brice was over stimulated about 30 minutes into the show and did not make it to intermission, I do not regret the experience. For the initial 30 minutes of the show, my son Brice was on the edge of his seat. This was the first time he had been to a show of this magnitude where he was given the opportunity to sit in his own chair. His little legs barely dangled off of the end of chair, as he clutched one of his plastic animals which I believe was a cheetah that he brought from home and he had his baseball cap pulled down low, just barely above his eyes. You might say that he was sleeping with his hat pulled down so low and frankly I would normally agree because we can barely get him to wear his hat on any other occasion. However, he refused this time to even let us adjust the hat. Instead, he held on to it tightly as if to be in his own little zone. Each time I peered under his hat, his eyes were wide open in amazement. He also had his fingers pointing emphatically at every animal, clown, performer, light and automobile that entered the stage.
As the animals came out one by one, “horsy”, “zebra”, “elephant”, “doggy”, followed by sounds “Nah” and “Ruff” (I have not mastered translating a zebra or elephant sound for my son to practice), Brice shouted out in excitement. For 30 minutes Brice was completely engaged in the experience and was enjoying himself. I suppose that was all he needed to appreciate the experience of the circus. I knew going into the event that we could be there for all of 5 minutes or at the most to struggle to get to intermission. Brice instead lasted somewhere in between. I could have waited another 4 years until Brice was older to ensure that he would stay in his seat and last for most if not the entire circus. However, I am convinced that these early experiences and exposure are significant learning opportunities for Brice. He may not remember his 1st circus visit when he reaches adulthood or even in a few years, but he will remember words he picked up like clown, dancer, fire and others and may associate these words later in life with things that he saw this past weekend at the circus.
Despite Brice not remembering much if any of the experience to tell his friends and family later, I guarantee I will never forget this fond memory of taking my sons to their first circus. I will especially recall cherishing the excitement on Brice’s face as the animals took center stage. I will be able to remind Brice of these memories, as he forms his own recollection of similar experiences, once he gets old enough to remember for himself.
Why wait to take kids to the zoo, aquarium, circus, and a musical performance, or on a special trip until we know they will be able to capture their own memories? Instead, I say use these early events and activities as learning experiences to help your young ones pick up new words, emotions and feelings that will be remembered for a lifetime.
On to our next family activity….a concert!
No comments:
Post a Comment