The Mall...

Most people will not believe it, but the weather was cold, wet and windy here in Oklahoma and we had our grandson with us. What to do? We did something that was not available to us when our children were his age, we went to the mall, specifically we went to the play area inside the mall. I don't know what the real or proper name is for this little play or exercise area, we just call it the mall play ground. We arrived and Leo walked in like he owned the place and than took a quick survey of all the other kids. He looked at the big turtle, the row boat, the sunflowers and the big bug. The structures and the floor are made out of rubber or something similar. A strange thing happens to all adults once they enter the area. People that would not speak or look at you outside of the play area suddenly become very friendly and out going. They talk about the age of theirs and your child, they help any child climb and rush to catch any child that looks like they may fall. My guess is most of the parents aged in the mid twenties to mid forties with a few grandparents mixed in. All the kids seemed to play well together, no one fought or tried to hard to occupy the same space. This whole exercise/play area is a new concept for us. We've seen them before and thought what a great idea, but at that time we did not have a kid to take there and try one out. After a while, I noticed three older people had arrived with out kids. They sat and laughed having a good time watching our grandson and the other children running amok. I complained to Norm, the drive to the mall is too far, the weather was crummy, I know there is something else I should be doing, but in the end, it was well worth it.