Patch Blog: Dadmissions on Child Milestones

Before there's ever a driver's license exam or college applications, long before SAT's or first jobs, there are milestones that mark the kids' childhood as they get older.  

Alicia just hit one of those milestones smack in the head in the form of one of a red painted line, one of those amusement park height requirements. 48 inches is the height to get into many rides for older kids at amusement parks. She used to need to stretch high on her tippy toes, or hope her sun hat or pony tails gave her some extra height to reach the line.

But I've accepted that she's been reaching the line for months now, able to go on a whole new set of rides that she was unable to before. And that part was exciting because we want her to experience new things. But yesterday the bar swung down from the OTHER side, and it'll never be the same again.  

It all happened as she went to get on this little scrambler with her little sister in the Camp Snoopy section of Knott's Berry Farm. And all of a sudden there was no turning back. It was the FIRST time where she was too tall and actually exceeded the maximum height to go on the ride. Translation: soon-to-be second grader is too big for some of the little kid rides now. She's too tall. She's too old. She's growing up too fast apparently.  

Darn you Knott's for making us realize this, even though we already know this, but you made it so clear in a big red line that came just above Alicia's shoulders.

So we took Alicia off the little scrambler and found another little kid there for Andreya to pair up with. Alicia sat next to me on the bench waiting for little-A to get off the ride. She just watched like a good big sister as Andreya went around enjoying the ride and waving to us at every turn.  

Just for the record, parents sausage themselves into rides all the time that they're too big for. Trust me, I fold my legs under the seat and suck in my stomach while the ride operator slams down the security bar, and even so, I look like a baked potato with a contorted midsection and a bar across the middle.  

On one summer afternoon, could you just have sausaged Alicia in the ride one more time, so I didn't have to be confronted with the fact again that she's growing up more each and every day?  

On one summer afternoon it became clear, big sister Alicia is really growing into her role of big sister and our days of Merry Go Rounds and little swings are slowly ticking away.