Cheap Thrills

It doesn’t take much to give kids their kicks does it? You can throw all the money in the world at them and they see straight through it. It’s the simple things that hold a special place in their memories like spending quality time with mum or dad.

This is something a working parent knows all too well. A mother’s guilt never wanes and doubly-so when she returns to work.

This week many schools were celebrating their 100^th day of the year and some acknowledged it by encouraging their children to bring creations encompassing 100 items. Some brought 100 shells, some brought jars of 100 coloured lollies, another brought a house made from 100 ice block sticks, one father sat down with his son the night before and screwed 100 screws into a hat. As it happened, his son woke up sick the next day so his labour went to waste. Which was probably just as well because, in hindsight, although the pirate hat looked impressive with 100 spikes sticking up out of the top, he admitted it could possibly have been a hazard to other kids.

Then there was the mum who sat down with her children and helped them dip 100 pieces of macaroni into various shades of food colouring before helping them glue the coloured pasta to form the letters of their names.

Wait on – that was me last year. Now what did I do this year? Oh that’s right - nothing.

Luckily Master Eight (along with countless others) had the brain wave to bring in one of his loom band creations but otherwise my kids showed up empty-handed.

But children are also very forgiving, which perhaps further adds to the guilt, and, I think I inadvertently made up for it later in the week by, uh, not doing anything much.

While doing the housework I decided to swap the couch and chairs around. When the kids came bounding in later that day it was like all their Christmases had come at once.

“Oh my god – everything’s different. You’re the best mum ever!” one declared as I stood there perplexed.

“This is one of the best days of my life!” pronounced the other jumping around on the furniture.

Good grief, life can’t be very fun at my house if this is what excites them, I thought.

However, the second day something similar happened.

I’m obviously not too flash at multi-tasking these days as I was trying to kill too many birds with one stone by running the bath while cooking dinner and making the lunches and got distracted helping one with their homework. Next minute, I remembered the bath and found it almost filled to the top with boiling hot water.

By the time I cooled it down it was very deep indeed and, while I was thinking of my power bill and cold shower later that night, the kids couldn’t wait to get in. 

“This is the second best day of my life!” shrieked Master Five, his delighted face just barely visible above the bubbles.

“Why, what was the first?” I asked.

“Going to Rainbow’s End.”

Ok, so obviously an over-filled bath can’t compete with the thrill of a log flume ride but it’s interesting to note it comes a close second.

While I’m not trying to advocate sacrificing quality family time over such mishaps, it was still humbling to see the simplicity behind their joy. I suspect that actually giving some of my time by just sitting with them and doing not much of anything would also be up there for them.

And as I stood shivering under my cold shower later that night I wondered if I should’ve made a start by jumping in that hot, deep bath. It had sure looked inviting.