Hanging Out in the Jungles of Oswego

It is time to get out for another adventure.

Where are we off to? In typical "Mom" fashion, I exaggerate the excitement of our destination, which this time, turns out to be a faraway location called:

“O  S W  E  G O.”  The kids are elated and run screaming out the door.

What they see:

They are now in the deepest jungles of Africa. They wade through a river of piranhas to go to a sacred island where they are in desperate need of getting food, building a fire and creating a shelter before it gets dark.

One child is rubbing sticks together to create a spark, another is gathering logs for the fire while the others are building the shelter with tree limbs.

The shade of the trees is keeping them pampered and cool as the gentle breeze wisps their hair. If they are lucky, they will catch that poison dart frog and see the macaw that squawks in the distance. Oh, what a great day!

What I see:

We are along the Fox River at a park; the kids are running in separate directions and getting their brand new shoes filthy by trudging through murky, ankle-deep water. 

I am pacing feverishly in the middle of the sunniest area of the park so I have a clear view of each and every child and their activity.

They are picking up filthy sticks, which only means someone is going to get a splinter or get poked. 

Cricket is rubbing two wet sticks together and isn’t harming anyone. He is sitting still and it is easier to keep an eye on him.

Dora the Explorer is going to need booster shots to protect her from “whatever” she just picked up.

Gill, the gamey, flea-infested dead fish fermenting on a stone next to me, is going to turn four kids into waterworks when I tell them they can’t keep him. 

And if they don’t stop making that bird noise, I think I am going to lose it!

How am I ever going to keep up with them for the rest of the summer? I think it is time for nap and they want to go swimming. To be under 10 again....