The Fair...

Our town has an annual fair every year in July. It started this past week, and of course we thought the boys would love it. We've taken them before, but we thought this year would be the year they would really appreciate it. Sure, we thought our oldest son would definitely walk through the barns with the animals (this is NH you see, so naturally we're talking about a fair with a gazillion animals) And he would definitely go on the Merry Go Round- he is afterall 5 now, and almost in school.
Ok, apparently we don't know our boys that well. I did get my youngest to suck it up and go through the cow barn. He loved it, well as much as he could see from sitting on my hip with his face buried in my shoulder. As for my older son, he watched me go through it from a safe 100 feet or so. Nothing doing with that one. He had no desire whatsoever to check out the animals.
So, the barnyard animals were a bust.. but he's going to love the rides, right??? I should have known.. My youngest had no problem getting onto the Merry Go Round, with me of course. My oldest decided in quite a whiney, leave me the hell alone kind of voice, that he was all set hanging back (again) with his dad. That is until the ride was about to start and all of a sudden he decides he's ok with it.. and the rather nice lady running the carousel lets him sneak on. Now, you would think that anyone on the Merry Go Round would want to pick out the prettiest, tallest, most spectacular horse, right? And you would think that the carriages they have on those rides would not be reserved for a 5 year old, but rather an infant and it's over zealous mom, right?? Oh, so wrong.. That was the only thing he would get on.. the boring carriage that just sat flat, no up and down, no nothing!
But I don't let him see my disappointment at his lack of adventure, rather I tell him how proud I am of him that he tried the Merry Go Round, and we wave everytime we pass his dad waiting for us at the gate.
I think next year he's going to want to go on the Ferris Wheel, and maybe join the other kids in the pig scramble.. And I'm sure he'll walk through the barn with his little brother and me!