Outing, Take 2

So true to my word, I took Lilah Rose swimming last night. I'd been building up to it for two days, so I was really hoping the Warren Community Center was all it was cracked up to be. To hear me talk, it was a veritable oasis of childhood fun. We picked up Zedd after I got out of work. They'd both been fed, and I was driving while choking down a BLT lovingly prepared by my husband. Zedd had no idea where we were headed, Kim having kept it a surprise. On the way there, he was asking very probing questions.

"Does is have to do with goggles? I heard Mama ask where the goggles were." I laughed.

"Sounds like someone is playing detective." He just stared at me with those big blue eyes.

"No, I've never played that game before." I griped a bit about the cold weather to distract him. "Auntie, the groundhog did see his shadow." I rolled my eyes. How can I argue with a 7 year old?

"Well, the Michigan groundhog didn't." I navigated to the community center and hesitantly found a parking spot in the busy lot. I said, "Lilah, where are we going for our special night?"

"To the DIA!" *Sigh*

"Lilah, the DIA is downtown Detroit. This is Warren, where my Daddy works," Zedd informed her. We made our way inside, but I started to doubt myself when I saw the huge building, walls full of bookshelves, and 8000 kids and their parents. Maybe it was a school. I asked a determined looking older woman with a power-walking stride and an "I mean business" countenance if we were in the right spot. She took a deep, patient breath and directed us to follow her. She gave me a very judgmental look that seemed to ask why I had shown up there if I didn't know where I was going, so I made up some story about meeting someone but not being sure we were in the right place. Then Zedd gave me a very judgmental look, presumably for lying to an old woman. Thankfully he kept his mouth shut. She kindly showed us to the pool area and I thanked her. We signed in and made our way to the locker room.

Have you ever tried to change and shower yourself, a toddler, and a body-shy 7 year old? It's ill-advised if you haven't. I stripped Lilah down and sent her and Zedd into the shower while I stood outside and changed.  Lilah was prodded out by Zedd, now in the trunks I had to hand him while looking the other way. Lilah sat next to the drain and proceeded to splash and play in the "puddle" while I rinsed off. Zedd packed our stuff in a locker, and I dragged out of the locker room a fussing Lilah, who was convinced that her life couldn't get any better than splashing in a locker room drain puddle.

Cue awed little faces. 

The water was a foot deep and almost 90 degrees. There were about 6 life guards doing everything from circling the pool area to removing a punk 10 year old who thought it was funny to spray my daughter in the face and knock her down while his dad looked on and laughed. They intervened before I had to step in and drown the kid, so go them. The kids ran and splashed and played for almost 2 hours. Zedd has perfected the ear-shattering shriek, which he liberally employed. Lilah let out a few of her own and looked at me for my reaction. I opened my mouth to tell her not to shout, but I realized that they were essentially "outside" and should be allowed to get their shouts out now.

When they were closing the pool and I tried to fish Lilah out, she cried. "I'm not done in the bath!" Back in the dressing room, I tried to dry and change the children as fast as possible. Lilah let out a final shriek, and I told her we were back inside, and those noises have to stay outside. Zedd asked why.

"Because there are a lot of older people in here and when kids scream inside, they think there's something wrong." This was accepted. Lilah was near passed out in my arms from sheer exhaustion.

"Mama? I need...I neeeeeeed..." Water? Sleep? More bath time? "Pizza." I laughed. We navigated our way to Buddy's Pizza where we ate our fill of pepperoni and pineapple pizza and stuffed ourselves with fried mushrooms, cauliflower, and zucchini. The server was friendly and excellent, so when our check came I'd already made up my mind to tip her very well. I handed her a coupon I had, and she told me to keep it and beamed at me.

"Those two ladies sitting behind you paid for your dinner." I was in shock, but I found myself smiling. I asked if she could at least charge us for a drink so we could tip her, and she said, "Trust me, they took care of that too. You are all set."

On the way home, Zedd asked why they would do that if they didn't even know us. We all talked about the power of doing good for a stranger. He proceeded to tell me that if everyone did something nice for someone else, there would be no more robbers in Hazel Park.

"Or anywhere else," I added. "There are good and bad people everywhere you go. More good than bad. The more nice things we do for other people, the world will be a very nice place."

"Like Chazzanos!" Lilah piped up.