Well, I’m a day late, and a few dollars short after a “Last weekend of summer” trip to the Metroplex with my daughter and a friend of hers. We went to Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor for a last blast right before summer vacation ended so they would most assuredly have something to write about in their “What I did on my summer vacation” essays. Do they still make kids write those? I assume so.
I was pondering something as I was purse/hat/glasses holding while they were riding another ride I had no desire to take part in. One of those fast, upside down, stomach churners that kids love. My mother always used to sit and watch as we would go and ride those types of rides, and never complained about being the one who sat out.
I suddenly got it.
Watching my daughter, and her friend, actually skip off to go ride a ride hand in hand made my heart glow. Watching her ride the ride that takes you up and drops you as if you were free falling, and counting down to the point of her screams of terror and delight, I knew why my mother would always wait for us, she liked watching us enjoy ourselves. It gave me such a good feeling knowing that I had provided that kind of enjoyment for my little girl, who ain’t exactly little anymore, and made a memory that will stay with her for life.
That and I got to sit down, a lot! Never underestimate the comfort of a hard park bench while waiting for preteen girls to get done with another amusement park ride. It can be quite the enjoyable perch from which to watch the world! I got to think back on when she was so little she could barely stand on her own, to watching her first dance recital and now sending her off in an amusement park with only her wits to guide her. (Granted, I was watching like a hawk the whole time, but from a distance!) It was reassuring that maybe, just maybe, all those little lessons I harped on her to learn are starting to sink in. I hope so. If I had to sound like my father for nothing, that’s just too depressing to contemplate!
Ben Cox is the morning show host of “Ben Cox in the Morning” on KQBZ, 96.9 FM in Brownwood Texas. He reports from the sidelines at every Early Longhorn game, and is the new in-stadium voice of the Howard Payne Yellowjackets football team. Ben is also an event DJ for weddings, parties and the like.
The thoughts and comments reflected in this column are those of the writer alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of Wendlee Broadcasting, or its affiliates.