Over the Christmas break we took a short trip to Disneyland Paris as an extended family. Unlike a trip we took a few years ago, this was a fun adventure and one that the children, in particular, very much enjoyed. Which is nice.
On the third day of the visit to Disneyland itself (that is, not counting the day spent travelling there), young Surprise! reached a point where he just couldn't take it any more. And so, the weather being pretty ropey at that point, LC took him back to the hotel for what turned out to be the rest of the day. This left Funsize and I to enjoy our final afternoon in Disneyland together.
And we had a great time, racing from one ride to another, cramming in every last bit of fun that we could in that afternoon and evening - some new rides, a lot of repeated rides from the previous days, and even the tail end of one of the shows that we managed to catch at just the right time. Good times.
And while at the time I was rather hesitant, in hindsight I'm rather glad that the day worked out that way. For entirely understandable reasons, Surprise! requires a significant amount of our time, energy, and attention, and as a consequence he largely sets the agenda for our days. Worse, because we've then expended so much time, energy, and attention, when we are then freed up there just isn't much left. And so I'm often somewhat concerned that Funsize is just not getting a fair shake. We do the best we can... but it's a concern.
So having an afternoon like that, where Funsize was able to get some undivided attention, and where she was able to set the agenda and have things her way was very much welcome. Even if it did mean that we returned to the hotel late, and she was absolutely shattered as a result - if nothing else, it meant we absolutely got our money's worth.
#1: "Ariadne", by Jennifer Saint (which I enjoyed, though I enjoyed "Elektra" more)
