Lessons from my day at the “Parada del Sol!”

My husband was out of town this weekend. I was on my own, with two small children to care for and entertain. When I find myself with days like this, my temptation is to turn it into a “work weekend.” I run a bunch of errands, take a big bite out of my to-do list, and my poor kids just need to come along for the (boring) ride. Now, I’m not trying to make anyone feel guilty about doing this. If we didn’t drag our kids around town on annoying errands then nothing would ever get done. “Sorry Kiddos! Not everyday is for story-time and neighborhood parks. Some days are just for dropping off alterations and buying diapers! You won’t die!”

This Saturday however, nothing was really pressing, and I had read in Raising Arizona Kids that it was also the “Parada del Sol”…and mom guilt had taken over. So, rather than a day spent at Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot and the vacuum repair place, I decided put aside my to-do list and take them to the parade.

So here are some moderately important lessons I learned from my day at the parade:
• Most parades, including the “Parada del Sol”, take place earlier in the day. Your baby will probably have to sacrifice his morning nap
• Yes, parking for parades is tough; but it’s really not so terrible
• Despite being a 6th generation Arizonan, and this year being AZ’s 100th anniversary of statehood, I learned that my 4 year old has no idea what the Arizona state flag looks like…. however, he did spot a rattlesnake balloon from 3 blocks away, so maybe he’s got a little western in him after all
• High school marching bands are a timeless treasure!
• When at a parade with your children, it’s nice to teach them to clap when the police march past
• Even though it’s technically a winter morning, when attending a parade in AZ in February, don’t forget sunscreen (And thank you to the sweet mom who lent me the baby SPF!)
• Horses are simply mesmerizing to children. A horse drawn parade may not have quite the WOW factor we adults have come to expect, but neither of my boys could take their eyes off the horses.
• Strollers are much better than folding chairs. Folding chairs have to be carried to and from the parade, but strollers do the carrying for you!
• Scottsdale is a big city, but it’s kind of a small town. We ran into a few friends who were there to watch, and several that were in the parade.

After our morning outing to the parade, we went home, put the baby down for his (much needed) nap, and I learned some more lessons.

It was a beautiful day and I decided my older son and I should head to the backyard to have a little lunchtime picnic. We sat outside, ate our lunch and enjoyed the warm and sunny Arizona winter afternoon.

The quiet of the afternoon was then interrupted with several different noises coming from the house next door. There was banging, motors starting, and the loud sounds of heavy things, I thought probably trash-bins, being dragged across gravel. Truthfully, I barely noticed the noise.

But my son did.

“HAH!” He exclaimed. Then, with a huge smile on his face, like he was getting ready to share a big secret he said, “Mom, you know what all that noise is from?” He paused, letting the drama build, “It’s the parade!!”

I laughed a little and then smiled at him. “No honey, the parade is over now and we live nowhere near where the parade was this morning. I think our neighbor was just bringing in his garbage cans.”

Then his smile was gone. He looked so disappointed.

“Darn it! Why did I say that?”

“Wait a minute.” I said while pretending to listen really hard, “You know, I think you might be right! I think the parade must have marched all the way down here!”

“Are the horses here too?” He asked, his excitement fully restored.

“I’m sure they are!”  I said.

That answer seemed to satisfy him and there were no more questions about it. A few minutes later he had finished his lunch and was busy riding his scooter around the basketball court.

So here are the two really important lessons I learned from my day at the parade:

1. If you have children and your town is hosting a parade, you should take them. They are paying attention. Target and Costco will still be there tomorrow
2. When the wondrous magic of childhood permits your son to hear imaginary parades marching by your backyard, for goodness sake, never tell him is was just a trash can!