Slide Adventures...

Today was a gorgeous day in the Midwest.  When I saw that bright yellow orb in the sky and felt the warmth, I knew I couldn't continue sitting in the pile of kleenex that took up residence all around me.  Yep...I traded last weeks virus for this weeks sinus infection...but that wasn't going to keep this girl down.

So, this afternoon, B and I piled the kiddos in the car and took ourselves to a park to run, let the sun shine on our pasty faces, and feel the breeze.  On the way to the park the little Mr. piped up from the backseat:

"Mommy...do you like slides?"  "Yes, I do."  "Did you like them when you were little?"  I was wondering where we were going with this.  "Yes, I liked them when I was little."  "How about when you were eight, nine, or ten?"  "Yep, I liked them then too."  "Then, what color were they?"  Ummmm...that was a lot of years ago, and I began wondering how to answer this, and why it was important. 

As I was quickly trying to come up with a color, I suddenly remembered the one bad slide experience I'd had.  I was about eight years old and I was climbing up this twisting metal slide when all of a sudden a kid came barreling down the slide, knocked me over and I landed face first on the metal, knocking my two front teeth loose.  Dirt and tears were streaming down my face as I ran to find my mom.  I remember she picked me up and carried me to the car, and then everything was a bit fuzzy after that.  I remember popsicles to ease the pain...confirmations from many adults that the teeth were saved, and my fear of large slides for a very long time.  The little Mr. piped up again, "Mommy...what color was it?"

"It was actually metal buddy...it was a big, twisty, metal slide."  He was quiet a bit and then he said matter-of-factly, "Oh, that sounds old and not very fun."  I instinctively touched my tongue to the back of my teeth and replied,"Actually buddy, it was really fun...they don't make slides like those anymore."  "Because they're super-old?"  "Yeah...because they're super-old."