Michael's Fatherhood Experience: Boston (a.k.a. The Playgrounds of Misfit Toys)

Oh blog, how I've missed you. The last month has been hectic to say the least. I have moved from Chicago to Boston with a partner, twin toddlers and pets. Life is starting to get into a routine so blogging again might become a possibility these days.

Aside from a few, crazy, sleepless nights while staying with the kids in my parents' place, everything went relatively smoothly. We had a few broken things and a few missing things but that's to be expected in a move.

The boys seemed to have adjusted to their new surroundings pretty quickly. Our new place has an elevator so pushing the buttons every time we enter or leave the building is quite exciting. We also have a big playroom and a staircase which are pretty amazing things for a two and a half year old. The boys have discovered the joy of the library. Twice a week the library offers programs for toddlers. There is a sing-along day and a story time day and the boys (and I) really look forward to those. I'm grateful the library is so close and we'll have an activity to do in the winter.

There are a lot of playgrounds in our town. Every time I go to one, though, I feel like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer entering the Island of Misfit Toys. I'm not quite sure how they get there, but every playground has a bunch of old, half broken toys. There are slides, baby exercise saucers, toddler cars, wagons and more that are all in that limbo stage of not broken enough to go to the trash but not intact enough to be kept in a home. I'm guessing people feel that they're doing the community a favor by "donating" these toys but really these toys are just filthy pieces of junk and a lawsuit waiting to happen. Kids climb on top of rickety kitchens and play in cars with a misaligned wheel or two. But hey, who am I to complain. It keeps my kids busy for an hour or so and you know the goal of every stay at home parent is to just to entertain the kids until 6:00 p.m. when his/her partner comes home. ;-)