I HATE apple picking! There I've said it, I've admitted I hate one of the most treasured of all New England activities besides pumpkin picking and the Big E. It's weird because I distinctly remember faithfully bringing my older boys apple picking every year from the time they were babies, in my memory I believe I enjoyed it. In photos it certainly looks like I may have, yet I could not bring myself to pick apples the last few years, even this year I tried to feign enthusiasm and rally our 7 & 8 year old to go. Sensing my apprehension, my extremely sarcastic 7 year old replied "why can't we just buy them in the bag at a store".
This past Sunday I gathered the boys, told them we needed to go so that we could pick Grandpa some of his favorite Cortland apples. We drove 25 minutes to a local farm, waited in line to get a bag and be told the apples aren't the greatest this year due to the lack of rain. We traipsed up and down the many rows, dodging bees and slipping on rotting smashed apples on the ground. Probably overpaid for the apples as well.
Did I enjoy it? Absolutely not! But did I create a memory for my kids? Sure, they were so proud when we got to Grandpa's house and they were able to show off the Cortland apples they picked just for him. They were happy because they picked the perfect stick off the ground to bring home to play fetch with our dog. Timothy was overjoyed when he had some apple pie this afternoon. My takeaway from this weekend was, it's not always about me. It's certainly a lesson I know and I am reminded of every time we play Candyland or The Game of Life, both of which I HATE. It's about the kids too sometimes and it can be very easy to lose sight of that, especially when we have been together so much since March.
So try to remember that it's not about you all the time, do something outside, take them somewhere you don't particularly care for, just because it won't create your fondest memory, does not mean it will not create theirs.
Sarah
