Jul 08
27
Lighter Than Air
Posted by Stephen27
Tags: Daniel, event, family, hot, Joel, Micah, summer, Swiss Day
This afternoon we went to the local Swiss National Day celebrations. We go every year, eating lunch on the grass in the shade of a tree, balancing paper plates on our knees, striving to keep offspring (three now!) from wandering off into the crowd. There’s a stage and rows of chairs set up in a big barn, with music groups performing and politicians speechifying. It’s generally stifling hot inside the barn.
The boys got commemorative helium balloons looped around their wrists. I saw Joel pull his string off his wrist and start to play with it, and I had visions of a tearful boy staring up as his balloon floated away. I told him my concern and asked if he’d like it safely tied to the stroller handle. He would. So one balloon was safe. I asked Daniel the same thing. No, he’d rather hold his own balloon, thanks. I repeated my dire warnings but left him with it. Micah was sleepy and fairly inert. His balloon looked safe.
Later, during lunch, Micah was tottering around on the grass when his balloon came off his wrist and promptly soared into the heavens. He tried to run after it, exclaiming and pointing. I sat with the boys and explained how it was gone, unrecoverable, free. Micah was distressed but seemed to accept the explanation. Daniel consoled him by saying, “You can get another one next year.” I asked Daniel again if he was sure he wouldn’t rather have his balloon tied securely to the stroller. With brains enough to learn from others’ misfortunes, he acquiesced and gave up his balloon. Thus, we made it home with two balloons.
One balloon has lost some of its helium and sinks to the floor. That one was claimed by Micah. The other rises to the ceiling with great alacrity. Daniel is the only boy tall enough to reach the string, so that balloon is his by definition. I tried to convince him to let it go in the stairwell, but he’s not stupid. He’ll only release it where he knows the ceiling is low enough for him to reach the string. That leaves Joel with no balloon. He doesn’t seem particularly interested, but two balloons amongst three children is always cause for parental concern.
