"See. Isn't this fun!"

I took Sophia out on Friday in the BOB again. It seemed colder than it was on Wednesday so I decided her snowsuit was a necessary layer. The snowsuit is labeled "3 to 6 months" but she swam in it. Her hands and feet didn't even reach the openings of the arm and leg holes. At first she thought it was funny, probably because I was laughing heartily at the irresistible cuteness of the whole situation. But once I started strapping her in to the BOB, the fun ended and she started fussing. So I turned it into a song, which is what I do with everything these days, even if she isn't fussing but especially if she is fussing. The song went something like: "Here we go, we're going for a run. So much fun! So much fun!" in a kind of singsongy voice that would annoy most anyone--including myself if I listened to it. But it worked, she stopped fussing, but only long enough to carry the stroller down the stairs and out on to the sidewalk, where she started back up again.

Once we got moving she quieted down. When I checked on her again she was sitting quietly peering out from the oversized hood of the snowsuit. "See," I said. "Isn't this fun?" And in that moment I realized I'd heard that phrase before: years ago, from my own parents. "See, isn't Gettysburg fun?

I have become one of those parents. The kind who enthusiastically engage their children in "beneficial" activities and say things like: "You'll like hiking. Besides, the mountain is not that high, and the view from the top will make it all worth it," or "This museum is really interesting. You'll like it."

As a kid I can remember how the activities felt so forced at first, and so I'd complain: "Do I have to? I'm bored. I want to go home." Inevitably though, no matter how hard I tried not to (believe me there we times when I tried really hard to have a bad attitude), I would have fun. And to this day the memories of the mountains, the museums and of course Gettysburg, those are the ones that have stuck with me. They are the highlights of my childhood.

When I was pregnant I imagined taking Sophie not just running, but apple picking, hiking, and even to a few museums. I imagined that the things that I enjoyed would be even more fun when I could share them with her. And maybe one day the things that we do together now, will become things that she will do on her own; like so many of the things my parents introduced me to as a child have become things that I now love. But even though I want her to have fun doing the things that I love, I want even more for her to find things that she loves and have fun doing those things, whatever they may be.