Over the weekend, Kay and I celebrated one of her friends turning 4! The party was at Wally Wombats, Kay’s favorite indoor play place, where she spent the morning eating pizza, devouring homemade cupcakes, and having the best time running, climbing, jumping, and endlessly going down slides with her friends!
It’s amazing to see how Kay’s independence shines at play centers like this. Though I’m always nearby or right behind her, she’s getting more confident, navigating obstacle courses mostly on her own without calling out for help.
During her friend’s birthday celebration, however, she did ask for a hand. She reached a part of the course with a balance beam and netting around it and wasn’t sure how to get across safely while holding onto the net. I climbed up, helped her across, and noticed an enclosed slide on the other side that caught her interest. After a moment of hesitation, Kay bravely went down on her own.
Then I realized my only way down was to follow her down the slide! I climbed in, and at the bottom, there was Kay, waiting for me. I told her to back up a little, so I wouldn’t accidentally run into her on my way down. Thankfully, I captured this moment on video because, as I started sliding, Kay shouted, “Mom! Stop!” followed by the funniest little “AHHHH” I’ve ever heard from her. And, well, you can guess what happened next!
Yes, I slid right into my own toddler, making her fall back and slightly landing on her. We both burst into laughter – I haven’t laughed that hard in so long! I’m grateful Kay was such a good sport about it and laughed along with me. Lesson learned: next time, make sure someone’s there to guide Kay out of the way if I’m sliding down behind her!