By: Paul Morrone
Back-to-school season feels different this year, likely because both kids are actually going to school (as opposed to daycare which runs year-round). With the summer days ticking by quickly, we’ve tried to fill the last few weeks of summer with all the things you’re supposed to do in New England in the nice weather. We’ve spent days by the pool, afternoons on friends’ boats, nights on the patio, took a trip to Newport, RI and most recently spent the day at Legoland in New York where the kids got their first true ‘theme park’ experience. It’s a far cry from the European vacations Jill and I used to take, but it is certainly refreshing to be able to enjoy a couple of nights away from home without managing nap schedules or dreading dinner at a restaurant now that the kids are a bit older.
It also brings back memories of my childhood when we made family trips to the Cape, Newport or Sesame Place, which makes it so much more special. Seeing the kids’ eyes open wide looking at the yachts docked in the marina at Newport immediately made me remember my younger years as I was fascinated with the big boats (and still am today) and could watch them for hours. Both kids had a million questions about, well, everything, of which I had answers to very few as we walked through the various shops and down the busy streets (how do they get the ship into the bottle?!).
No trip would be complete without a bag of candy or fudge from the local candy store, followed by ice cream after dark when we’d normally be going to bed. I certainly don’t mind it either. We let each of the kids buy a souvenir so they had something tangible to take home from Newport. What they picked came as a surprise to neither Jill nor I. Kyle got a ship in a bottle to put on his shelf and all Ryan wanted was another toy car (a white race car like daddy’s), both of which are very much on point for our boys. While we could have gotten that car at virtually any CVS or Walgreens in the country, he remembers it as the car from Newport. Over a month later, he still plays with it every day. I can’t say I hate it.
As we look to the future, there are certainly the ‘big’ trips we will soon commit to as Kyle and Ryan are reaching prime ages for some of the memorable childhood experiences – Disney being one. Fortunately, I have an in-house Disney expert (one of Preston’s many skills) who can help me navigate the complexities of planning such a trip. They have also been asking to go to New York City and I can’t wait to see their eyes as they step out of Grand Central Terminal for the first time. For me, it’s like reliving those childhood moments all over again, and I must say it is quite cool to be able to see everything through their eyes.
Tracking: 619177-1