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Thursday, January 14, 2016

Storytime at the Park

If it's dry and above 40 degrees, we're going to play outside. I took the kids to the park after picking Jackson up from school. Everyone was excited to run, slide, climb, and swing.



Unfortunately it felt colder because it was very windy!


I didn't take any pictures of Jackson because he was playing with a friend and I didn't want to be the weird mom to take pictures of stranger's children. However, if I had taken pictures, it would have been the least peculiar part of our afternoon.

As soon as we had arrived at the park, I heard a boy yell, "My friend's here!" I assumed the child attended Jackson's school since the park is two minutes from his school. After a few minutes I realized Jackson had never met the child but the little boy was especially friendly.

I followed the trio around while Jackson and the boy played tag. The mom had another boy who was younger than the trio. We were the only two families at the park.

At one point, the boy asked Jackson if he wanted a doughnut and hot chocolate. The mom asked me if Jackson had permission. They were already sitting at a table and she was taking out Dunkin Doughnuts. I said I didn't mind, though I knew the situation would get ugly once the toddlers realized Jackson was eating a doughnut. Sure enough, they ran over to the picnic table, yelling "I want snack!"

The mom started tearing doughnuts in pieces to give to everyone. She had a Kohl's bag filled with books and stuffed animals. She said, "Now let's listen to a story while we eat" then proceeded to read the first page of a picture book aloud. At this same time, her younger boy began crying and the wind blew the napkins all over the place. I ended up reading the entire book, pausing to ask questions and share observations and predictions. The wind scattered napkins once more, though I continued reading. It was one of those moments where I thought, "How did this end up happening?"

The kids continued to play until their noses turned pink. The mom thanked me for reading and I thanked her for sharing her doughnuts.

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