On our way to the Great Reunion of 2015, we dragged our daughter to Zion National Park because by golly, we were going to go hiking there while we were in the area. We talked her into the thought of going hiking yet again by telling her that we were driving to the mountains to see a great tunnel. 'Twas not a lie. There is a mile-long tunnel that was dug through the mountain with the sole purpose of blowing the minds of toddlers, I swear.
Tunnels are super exciting things in our family, and we made the experience even better by rolling down our windows and listening to our yells echo. We screamed to scare the bats away and hollered as best we could. We knew we had struck gold when she was yelling at the top of her lungs, "This is the best tunnel everrrrrr!" as we drove through. She said it a lot. It is a very long tunnel. Then we drove through a smaller less-impressive tunnel and flipped around to find a spot to park at a trailhead. It was all part of the plans.
However, by the time we had turned the car around, our lovely girl had had enough. To heck with our plans. She did not want to go hiking, but she did need a snack. So, we suggested parking so we could get out of the car for a little bit...and she agreed. Then, since we were already outside, we suggested putting on sunscreen while we were eating a snack...and she agreed. Then we suggested walking toward the tunnel so we could see it up close...and she agreed. Then we suggested climbing some stairs, walking on rocks, looking over fences to crevasses below, and running across a bridge...all to which she agreed. She even made sure to hold our hands so that we wouldn't slip and fall along the scary parts of the trail because she is very brave. Soon we were back in the car driving through the tunnel again and eating fruit snacks. Kirk and I exchanged victory smiles with each other because our mighty girl hadn't even realized she had indeed just been on an enjoyable and challenging hike.
Parenting tricks. Boom.
No comments:
Post a Comment