The more I find out about the world, the more cynical I become.  It's hard for me to relish in things the way I used to.  Don't get me wrong...I want to.  It's just hard for me as a practical person to fully enjoy most things.  These days, my kids are used to me being a Debbie Downer.  

Kids: Mom can we have candy?  
Me: If you want to eat colors made with petroleum. 

Kids: Mom can we try to win this stuffed animal out of the machine? 
Me: If you want to get addicted to gambling at an early age. 

Kids: Mom can we buy this t-shirt at the fair? 
Me: If you want to support sweatshops. 

People love being around me. I'm a real fun time.   

Anyway, my son is about to turn 7, and this weekend, we decided to throw him a party.   All he wanted was a blow-up bouncy slide and a blue Mario cake covered in all his favorite characters. My principles started kicking in.  I wanted so badly to tell him that those bouncy slides are a waste of electricity and water.  I wanted to tell him that blue food coloring is bad for his stomach. I wanted to tell him that those Mario characters are a bad use of his money. 

But instead, we had a bouncy slide and the bluest Mario cake I could muster.  Because for just one day, I can let go of my principles in the interest of letting my kid be a kid. 

Reader, no matter how hard we try, it's impossible to get it all just right. We're going to make an impact on this planet, sometimes not a good one.  So maybe it's ok every once in a blue moon to let go of our rigid thinking and enjoy a trip down a damn water slide.   

May you be good to your inner child this week, and I'll see you next Monday. -Em