Fun?

Do you ever forget that being a mom is supposed to be fun? Get bogged down with groceries, mountains of laundry, piles of junk mail, and a fussy child? Me, either.

During the week, I often forget about the fun that being a mom can be. Sure, I love my time with Robbie. There are few things as wonderful as his smile and infectious laugh. But, during the week, we have a schedule to keep. He needs to have dinner and a bath and be in bed at a reasonable hour. And I need to make it to the gym, let the dog out, and try to keep the house in order.

But weekends are different. Weekends are a time to have the kind of fun there just isn't time for during the week. Today, Robbie and I went to the Fall Festival at Willow Hill. I didn't get to say good bye to my students last year, so it was important to me that I get to see them. So, after meeting with our friendly Irish contractor (who told me he wanted to buy Robbie his first tool kit) about installing some new light fixtures, Robbie and I were off to Sudbury.

Robbie was in heaven from the second he got out of the car. We ran into people in the parking lot, and he put on all his Robbie charm: batting his eyes, smiling coyly, and even blushing adorably. The festival was mostly in the gym, with a huge blow-up sports contraption, which immediately grabbed Robbie's attention. He wanted to grab the ball that was hovering in the air for the baseball segment of the game, which posed a problem because kids were swinging bats at said ball. He went to the ping pong toss, grabbing all four balls and running around with them.

And when the band came? Forget about it. Robbie is not a stellar dancer, but he has a great time doing it. He ran around in circles, bounced up and down, and waved his hands to the music. Then the girls noticed him and started mimicking his moves, which he really got a kick out of.

And I loved watching it. Seeing his face light up when new people came to meet him. Hearing his laugh when he got to grab a prize from the bin. Feeling him throw his body against my legs and seeing him look up at me, eyes bright and a smile stretched across his face. And I remembered how fun being a mom was supposed to be. And how fun it really is. I just have to remember to find the fun Monday through Friday.

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