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July Stew On That
by Rachel Stewart
The following article appeared in the print issue of Ponca City Monthly magazine. Get full access to all online articles, videos and content by becoming a paid subscriber. We offer free and paid subscription plans. Find rack locations to pick up your free print copy here, or subscribe here to get online access plus exclusive content.
I was recently talking to a friend, and she told me that she and her husband were discussing whether or not they wanted to have children. They were concerned that having kids would prevent or hinder them from experiencing new things, and to that I said to her, “No, no, no! You can absolutely still do things with kids! They just won’t be fun at all!”
And obviously it goes without saying that my children are the light of my life; I would literally lay down and die for them; I’m obsessed with them; they are the most perfect humans who have walked on this planet, but the reality is, some things just aren’t as fun with kids. Vacations are no longer relaxing (in fact, we no longer even call them vacations, they’re just called “trips”); it’s just doing all the things you normally do, just in a different ZIP code, and it’s harder because you don’t have all the normal comforts of home. You can still run to Starbucks every morning to get your venti cherry vanilla cappuccino espresso with giraffe milk, you’ll just have to spend an additional $7 on a drink for your tiny, adorable, dirty-faced roommate. Otherwise, they’ll cry for 24 minutes straight, and then once you get them the drink, they’ll only have one drink out of it, maybe zero drinks. You can run all the errands you want, you’ll just need to make sure they’re well-fed, well-rested, have packed an extra change of clothes (or two), 4-23 toys to keep them occupied, a drink, 55 snacks, a 500-pack of baby wipes, and that you’re going somewhere that has a restroom, because even if you make them go to the bathroom before you leave the house, they will absolutely need to go again the moment you get to your destination. And even when you think of a fun, simple activity, like a quick little bike ride down your street, that couldn’t possibly go wrong, you, in fact, will be wrong, and you’ll be cursing yourself whilst you’re carrying both a 40-pound, limp, deadweight toddler AND a small bicycle back to your house. You’re thinking to yourself, “Oh, no, just plan kid-friendly activities!” Nope. You could take them to the zoo, with all the snow cones, adorable animals, unlimited toys from the gift shop and your child will still somehow be blind with rage, for no inconceivable reason. And in the midst of all the chaos, when you are about to lose your mind, someone, probably your Aunt Linda, will say to you, “Oh, you’ll miss this one day!” and ya know what, I think that ol’ broad is right.
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