Growing Up Fast: Going Out

They grow up, these children of ours, don’t they?

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes noticeably, sometimes imperceptibly.

It was only in April that we started taking Jake & Ellie out to see shows; we weren’t sure before then whether or not they were able to sit still long enough. We took them to a children’s magic show at Folly Farm Adventure Park & Zoo: it was great fun & very entertaining, even for the grown-ups! Jake in fact loved it so much that he cried when it finished because he wanted “more magic”!

We then went to see Chris and Pui from cbeebies’ ‘Show Me Show Me’ & again they absolutely loved it! They’re a talented pair of children’s entertainers & the show was great fun.

Those shows were probably only 30-odd minutes long; certainly no more than hour. To be honest I can’t remember! When in the same month however we took them to the circus it was a bit different: it was over 2 hours long, with an intermission. Although they seemed to enjoy it, & have since told us that they did, it was pretty clear that their attention span just didn’t stretch that far. To be fair it was very mixed in quality: some of the acts were incredible & the clown was hilarious, but a lot of it was a bit naff & amateurish.

We went to the circus again last week & it was very different. They sat through all of it, joining in, & obviously enjoying it. There was very little of trying to run around, climbing the seats, etc.

It was a different circus, & unlike the first one it was excellent throughout: just about every act had me gasping in amazement & I saw things there that beforehand I would have sworn were impossible.

That aside however it seemed clear to me that they were just more grown-up, that in as little as 3 months they had become quite capable of sitting still & enjoying a 2-hour plus show! They are very active & energetic , & every so often the dreaded acronym ‘ADHD’ crosses my mind; it’s times like these that make me realise that I have no need to worry!

I asked them afterwards which part of the show they most enjoyed. Their answer? Getting photographed with Mickey & Minnie at halftime!

They may be growing up but they’re still kids!