Night on the Town

Recently we took Gwen and a friend out to see a movie.  It was super fun and the kids were very well-behaved.  It was also an opportunity for me to see how different life is with two kids.  I picked up Gwen from daycare and our friend Aidan from his house, then drove to McDonald's where we were planning to meet Chris for dinner when he finished work.  Right away when I got to the parking lot I anticipated difficulty.  Juggling the unbuckling of the children and the locking of the car and the holding of the hands could have been quite tricky.  Fortunately, it soon became apparent that Aidan is an incredibly well-behaved child and was unlikely to bolt off across the parking lot.

I was also charmed by his willingness to hold my hand, his trusting me to keep him safe.  We've only met a couple of times.  Soon Chris joined us - he had never met Aidan before, but Aidan was content to accept him and trust him as part of the clan as well.

Then it made me think about how trusting children are.  It would indeed be heartstoppingly easy to walk up to one of these children, greet them by name, and tell them to follow you.  They probably would, because they are sweet and trusting and innocent and have every reason to believe the world is a wonderful place.

In any case, we did have a wonderful evening together: dinner at McDonald's, a viewing of "Pirates: Band of Misfits" on the big screen (in 3D, even!), popcorn and candy, and then a bit of playtime at our house before Aidan's mom picked him up.  It took me a while to get used to Aidan's manner - he is very different from Gwen, by which I mean he is not constantly talking, moving, and seeking attention.  I kept asking if he was alright, because, you know, he is so quiet!  I'd forgotten that some kids are like that.  Despite their different personalities, Gwen and Aidan got along really well, and I hope we'll get to spend more time together soon.