This past weekend, a church near my house had their annual picnic. Complete with carnival rides and kids games, and my personal favorite, a cake wheel where you place a dime on a number between 1-120 and if the spinning wheel lands on your number, you win a cake!
Unfortunately, the weather forecast was calling for 95 degrees with a heat index of 100-105.
All weekend long my phone was blowing up with text messages from the National Weather Service with heat advisories and a reminder to stay hydrated, and if possible, avoid going outside.
Needless to say, I was less than stoked about the weather. My little fair skinned red-headed toddler definitely does not need to be out in that kind of heat, on a black top parking lot no less.
Our top of the ferris wheel family selfie
My prep went like this:
In my handbag, I packed LOADS of sunblock, bug spray and a hand fan.
In a small cooler I packed:
- Three large bottles of electrolyte water (partially frozen to keep extra cold)
- Two frozen washcloths- for the back of my toddler's neck to keep cool
- A Travel pack of baby wipes (storing them in the cooler meant that would be cool on his face and hands)
- Frozen grapes and strawberries in snack bags
Clearly, I wasn't messing around.
I don't care how nuts it sounds, I never leave the house without over-thinking what Ollie might need for whatever adventure we are embarking on, even if it is to an event a few blocks away.
My sister, mother of two boys (8 & 9) laughed at me, but in a way that I could tell she was more amazed, and even slightly impressed, than anything. She couldn't believe how much I had thought through the day about what my son might need to beat the heat.
For me, it seemed like second nature.
It's in these moments that I realize how much of a neurotic first-time parent I am, and how no matter how old my child gets, I will, in a way, always be a first-time parent.
The LAST thing I ever want to be is under-prepared for my son's needs. So, I over prepare.
Surely, I'm not the only neurotic mom (over) packing an entire cooler full of heat beating things?
Sure, I've been caught without an extra diaper, wipes/napkins or water, but dammit, once is enough for me! So, I over-think what my kid would possibly need before leaving the house... and my car looks like it...
I am a sucker for handing back snacks, drinks, toys, baby wipes... whatever he needs that I have on hand, I send it back to him. By the time we get home, it looks like I held a daycare in my backseat.
Yes, I do know how jacked up all that nonsense is. Am I going to stop?
NO!
I can't!
I'm driven by this first-time mom need to prepare and please.
See... More. Issues. Than. Vogue.
But... I'm a first-time mom, so isn't that just par for the mom-course?
P.s. Even though I obsessed about my son's needs all weekend, I still managed to have a fabulous time. I even made FTD ride a super fast and scary ride with me! As you can see, he was super STOKED about it!
