As the long weekend approaches, many of us ‘of a certain age’ might reminisce about former jaunts to campgrounds or cottages pre-kids — where no one got much sleep, but everyone had a great time. The appeal of freedom for a weekend was enough to haul our city slicker selves into a tent for a night or two.
Flash forward a decade (plus) later, and though we’re still not getting much sleep, we’ve realized that the cottage weekend has certainly evolved.
1. Cocktail hour is now the hour after kiddo bedtime, instead of the hour(s) leisurely preparing appetizers and a full-course dinner.
2. Girls’ weekends have been replaced by family weekends—instead of staying up late and sleeping in, we’re tucking in early and up with the sun!
3. Satellite TV watching has changed from Dallas, Who’s the Boss, or Full House reruns, to whatever kids cartoon we can find, if we’re stuck inside on a rainy day.
4. Scouting cute guys on the dock has turned to scouting for good sticks to collect and rocks to throw in the lake (or turn into pets).
5. When we need a change of scenery, we head to the local zoo, instead of the local golf course.
6. A night on the town is the local ice cream parlour—before eight o’clock!
7. Lounging on the deck . . . well, let’s just say lounging is pretty much out, unless our kids decide to time their naps with ours!
8. Quiet dips in the lake have morphed to full-on frolicking adventures, complete with cannonballs, screams, and shouts of joy from little lungs.
9. A leisurely read in the hammock? Probably not. The hammock is now a theme park adventure ride for toddlers!
10. Snacks? Oh, some things never change. Cottages and campgrounds call for cheesies, popcorn, and nacho chips!
I laugh out loud when I think of the pre-kids weekends at the cottage and feeling like I almost had too much time on my hands or feeling bored! Now, the more relaxed pace is so welcome and I look forward to many more times spent there.
This post was written by momstown Oakville's Kelly, who loves going to the cottage with her two kids!
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