Bedtime Walks

Lately, we've been taking the kids for a walk in an attempt to wear them out before bedtime. Sometimes it even works. We wander around our neighborhood, examining the road construction, exclaiming over the diggers and studiously avoiding the park. (If the park is sighted, one of us will end up carrying a tantrum-throwing toddler or two the rest of the way home unless we stop.) I carry the little one in a wrap carrier and her legs kick for each step we take.

A favorite destination has been the bleachers at the athletic field.  My son loves running around the track and shouting that he is racing. My daughter prefers the wheelchair ramp to the bleachers. Sometimes we make it all the way around the track and other time we detour directly to the bleachers where the kids run up and down the ramp and the stairs. (For those living near us, I'd avoid the top bench until we have a good rain.  See posts on potty training.)

The kids have a blast. When their pace eventually slows, we head home.  The walk home takes twice as long as we have to cajole them to keep up and to keep walking. If we're lucky when we get home, they're ready for bed and will fall right asleep. If we're lucky...