Life, Aquariums, and Parenting

I am afraid that L has heard the 'F' word more times in the last week than I did until High School. I wouldn't be surprised if she just says it one of these days, completely innocently, and then I won't know what to do. People's obliviousness to those around them, especially those little ones around them, is astounding (Here I am, the pot calling the kettle black, I am sure, but still!). You could not pay me to be 15 or 16 again. Though I would hopefully use my time more wisely than I did previously....

We went out to the Aquarium at Coney Island/Brighton Beach relatively early today. L has been so obsessed with Finding Nemo that it was not very hard to convince her to take the long train ride to go and see Nemo and Dorey in the flesh. We had a great time; the weather was very mild which added to the ejoyment.

We enjoyed the reef, the sea lion show, the walrus, the sea horses, and, of course, the tank containing the Dorey and Nemo look-a-likes. Jelly fish and eels still creep me out. Sharks and manta rays are still cool.

After, we enjoyed a walk on the boardwalk while L napped. The beach looked inviting though chilly, and I was surprised by how much the surrounding neighborhood seemed to be a big dump.

On the way out, after we'd transferred and been on the train for a while, C told me that we were passing through the area that one of the Brokers wanted us to look in. We were on the el, and I could see that this place was 1) a dump, and 2)way too far out--we'd been on the train a while. What is it with these brokers??? Honestly. Totally not listening.

On the parenting side of things, I love my L, she is great, she is beautiful, she is startlingly smart (yesterday she told us, “the problem is dada...,” [only she pronounced it 'ploblem'] when we were telling her to do something she didn't want to; and she amazes me with what she remembers and the fanciful stories she makes up, not to mention her climbing ability is that of an older child). But she's on the edge, and so am I, and we push each other nearly over from time to time.