A Kid Day

Thanksgiving is a great time of year. Family and friends coming together to give thanks and eat. I especially like the eating part. It's a great time for me, I can eat seconds and thirds and nobody thinks anything of it. My wife and I had Thanksgiving at our house this year and we pulled it off without any problems. We had cooked and planned all week and by the time Friday came around we were ready for a break.

We woke up Friday and started to piece our house back together. Tables and chairs were returned to their normal place, and the house started to resemble its pre-Thanksgiving form. What now? Being off on a Friday, I was ready to take full advantage. Neither of us are big Black Friday shoppers, so we weren't going out at 5 AM hunting for deals. We decided to catch a movie, which is a treat for me because it’s almost impossible to get my wife to sit and watch a movie in the theatre.

Looking for a movie to watch, we both agreed on The Muppets. Both of us in our 30’s, no kid in sight, yep, we’re going to see The Muppets. The movie was great, and brought back many memories. It must have stirred up the kid in us as well. Leaving the movie, we stopped by a toy store in the mall. (It may have been the crowd of shoppers, I had to get out of the throng so I entered the nearest store in sight).

In the store, I ran across a plastic bowling alley set. It said ages 3+, no problems there. I look over at my wife, who I'm sure knew what was coming next "We could set this up in our hallway!" With that, our impulse purchase was complete. I quickly paid for it and was ready to get home. Carrying our toy through the mall with a smile on my face, who’s to say this isn't an early Christmas present for our kid....me?

We arrived home and I began putting up the Christmas lights, my day after Thanksgiving tradition . I got the lights up in record time and admired my handiwork from the street. Inside, Anne had the mantle all lit and decorated. With the house lit up and somewhat in order, this could only mean one thing. Time to bowl!

We set up the pins in the hallway, our puppy Mason was eager to help. We came up with some ground rules and I gave my wife the red plastic bowling ball. "You do the honors!" Wouldn't you know it, the ball rolled down the hall and we had our first strike. "Nice shot" I begrudgingly admitted. I set the pins up again for my turn. I roll the ball and halfway down it hits the wall. Gutter ball. Oh well.

I thoroughly enjoyed our kid day and I hope to do it again. My wife and I were able to have a guilt-free day to play with no responsibilities. I think everyone could benefit from a kid day, it’s certainly a stress reliever. You really can’t take yourself too seriously when you’re holding a plastic bowling ball and staring at a 6-7 split in your own hallway.