A friend told me about their family vacation. They went to a part of New England where it is a sure bet to see humpback whales. I asked if her daughter enjoyed them.
"She was excited at first, because it was pretty cool. But after a few dozen she had had enough."
This was the same girl whose face exuded delight when her mother took her to see the decorations at Christmas one December. There was no room left on her face for smiling. Sometimes I go back to the picture of her just to let her joy affect me, too.
Humpback whales are amazing. No doubt about it. But so is a store full of snowmen and Santas. The thing is I have been in that very same place, and forgot to me amazed.
More recently her mom took a photo of her when they were shopping. Because that was reason enough to be glad too.
This week at summer camp we will pull out lots of tricks to keep eighty little kids engaged. One day there will be a magic show. Another will have animals, like an owl and a snake. Those register pretty high on the coolometer, even for grown ups. But a different day the activity will be chalk and bubbles. You know, the kind that sells for a dollar. Four score kids will jump in with excitement as we trace their bodies on the sidewalk, and blow shimmery spheres in the wind.
Sometimes there is a pressure to raise the bar on how we try to wow our kids. Bigger trips. Splashier parties. Cakes that look like their favorite character.
Then other times we find they are just as delighted with a yard full of fireflies, or a sprinkler on a hot day.
