Stop And Take The Ferry

When I leave the house, I want nothing more than to get to Point B.  I get antsy at stop lights.  I’m never tempted by the side-of-the-road sale.  I never want to drop in on a friend.  I want to get to Point B without delay.

Which makes me not that much fun to drive with.  Ask Jeff – if you have an hour and a martini.

But today, as my sister and I were driving to Virginia with our four boys, I blurted out, “Do you want to stop at Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty?”

Ezra has been asking to stop at the Statue for years, but I always want to get to my folks’ house in a reasonable amount of time.  Or I want to get back to Boston in time for bedtime.  But something came over me, and next thing you know our nine hour drive became a fourteen hour drive.

And it was worth every minute of it.

The National Parks Service has done something brilliant there.  They made audio tours designed especially for children ages 6-10.  The website says of the tours: “Featuring animal characters as guides, these tours are entertaining and informative and the perfect choice for families and school groups.”

Each tour was approximately thirty minutes long and skipped all of the boring panels that I love to read, the same panels that make the boys’ eyes glaze over.  The tour of Ellis Island is hosted by a rodent and the Statue tour by a bird.  There were buttons to push, artifacts to find, and stairs to climb.  Best of all, Mom couldn’t slow things down to ask a million questions about Eiffel and his unique design strategy.  All four boys loved the afternoon.

Anyhow, I encourage you to stop and take the ferry.  Get wherever you are going a little late.  Let go of the parent agenda and take the kid tour.  Spend all of the time you saved by skipping so many exhibits to eat ice cream while waving at people in boats in the New York Harbor.

On the way out Ezra said, “Mom, aren’t you glad I kept bugging us to come here?”

I certainly am.