take me with u

When I was little, whenever we celebrated Mother's Day or Father's Day, one of us kids would inevitably ask (with a little whine) "Why isn't there a kid's day?" And the answer to this innocent question was always the same and probably has always been the same from the beginning of time: "Every day is kid's day." This may be sort of true, but we have decided to make the holiday official.

It started when Annika was a toddler who only wanted Mama, not Daddy. In an effort to introduce her to the joys of having both parents at her beck and call, we put forth the floating holiday, "Kid's Day". Originally meant to give Annika special time with her daddy, it has morphed into a family tradition: one kid and one parent doing something fun together. Building a foundation of shared experience and trust, with the message: "You are so important to me." 

It does not have to be big, but it can be. It does not have to be long, but it can be. We have been canoeing, zooing, swimming, horseback riding, skating, water sliding, dining, space camping, hiking, carouseling and shopping at the hardware store. By now, with three kids, our holiday takes a little more coordinating that it used to. But it is certainly my favorite holiday, beating out the 4th of July, New Year's Eve and even Christmas. I am pretty sure David would say the same thing. He is great at staying committed to this wonderful tradition.  I know that most parents spend special time with their kids, we are not unique. One thing we have discovered is that naming it and making it official makes it even more special. Last week I was the lucky co-celebrant of two such holidays: 

Ollie and I went to the zoo on Thursday. It was very cold. We had a great time together as pretty much the only people at the zoo. Before my very eyes and unprovoked by me, Oliver  transformed into an animal rights activist committed to releasing polar bears and monkeys back into their natural habitats. 

Over the weekend, I took Annika on a Kid's Day to the ballet to see Fancy Free. Most memorable for me was the sight of my lovely daughter re-creating this dance in the kitchen the next morning. 

And now my heart cries out to spend a little holiday with 12-year-old Cal.  It's been too many months and he is growing up so quickly.