Friday, August 7, 2009

Taking the Kids to the Park

There are two entirely separate sets of rules for taking children to the park.

If you are a dad, just pack up the kids and go. If you have an infant, use a baby carrier (cool!), never a stroller (definitely not cool--and sports bars are generally not stroller accessible). Never mind about cumbersome add-ons like hats, sunscreen, extra diapers, snacks, water or weather-appropriate attire. They just weigh you down. Where you gonna park that diaper bag when you take your adorable chick-bait to Hooters for a pit stop? Besides, there's always some mom around who will be more than happy to assist you.

If you are a mom, things get more complicated. You must pack at least adequate drinks and snacks--kids get hungrier and thirstier than usual when breathing fresh air, swimming, wading at a splash pad, playing with other kids, and watching other kids eat the snacks you won't buy them. It's a good idea to pack extra snacks in case your children want to offer some to their friends or you meet a dad who is unprepared.

Make sure it's all litterless. You don't want to be the jerk with the juice boxes, or even worse, a BPA-leaching plastic bottle, so be sure to shell out $20 a pop for those miniature Sigg bottles.

Once you've got your snacks in place, you'll need to think of everything else: change of clothes for each child, bathing suits, baby wipes, diapers, swimming diapers, sunscreen, towels, sun hats, beach/picnic blanket, folding chairs, first aid kit, cell phone, camera, and toys. These items will take up at least a couple tote bags. Even if you only have one child, a double stroller is helpful to carry the stuff plus the groceries you will inevitably need to pick up on the way home.

If it all sounds like too much to handle, just remember that the alternative of staying in your cramped home on a sunny day is infinitely worse. Besides, you need the vitamin D.