When did Merry-Go-Rounds get old and the Ferris Wheel scary!

I’m not sure what happened, I’m still trying to work it out, but I’d really like to know when did a Merry-Go- Round get old for my children and a Ferris Wheel, (and it was a small one) get scary for me!

Literally as we reached the highest point and went ‘over the edge,’ I was forced to close my eyes, (discreetly I might add) and regulate my breathing. I didn’t make a big deal about it, I even pretended to enjoy it, in a wavering voice, forced smile kind of way-“yes kids this is great.” The fact I even had to pretend made me sad. All I could think about at the time was, “we better get to Disneyland soon before this problem gets any worse or I won’t even be able to go on ‘It’s a Small World,” and the ‘Teacups’ ride you can forget altogether! I did think about my Mum and an incident that involved a suspension bridge, vertigo and two very unsympathetic daughters- I get it now Mum, I’m sorry I thought that was funny!

We are currently staying in Hood River, which is situated in The Columbia River Gorge region. The river cuts a line between Washington State and Oregon. It’s a outdoor lovers paradise- Disneyland for grownups as I’ve heard locals call it. If you love the outdoors, chances are you’d love it here. Hood River is especially popular for Windsurfing and Kite Boarding- not my thing but mountain biking and hiking definitely are. This region has it all. Mike was here for 5 days before he had to head back to Spain to work. We took on a couple of waterfall hikes together. Our second was 4 miles or 6.4kms, which I thought was huge for the kids. It wasn’t without complaint, but they did it and they loved it…in the end. Actually, before the end, which made it all worthwhile. The waterfall seems to inspire them each time and the trip back is usually a lot easier. We usually have lunch at the falls too, which, we’ve learnt the hard way, makes ALL the difference.

This morning as I was packing up ready to take on another waterfall hike, I worded myself a little differently. I was somewhat apprehensive about the possible barrage of protests I might hear if I said we were hiking, so when they asked me what we were doing I simply said- ‘going on an adventure.’ Based on some advice in the kid friendly guidebook I’ve borrowed, I mentioned fairies and trolls, suspension bridges and rocks to throw into rivers. What I can say is, apart from the long drop stench and flat refusal from Lilly to use it at the beginning of the walk, there were very few protests for the entire time- not none, but very few. The GPS thingy on my phone mapped us as doing about 7kms all up, which again, I’m blown away by. They spent a good portion of the walk, running and despite a few challenging moments, it was incredible. I drove home chatting to myself, (as I do) feeling very proud of everyone’s efforts, theirs for doing it and mine for taking it on in the first place. I know there are days when it’s just too hard but I also feel that the hard yards do payoff eventually.

It’s an endurance game this parenting lark and I feel like I’m in the perfect place to train for it!