davidandmarta.blogspot.com: waterpark part one

we've been to 2 massive indoor waterparks in the last 7 days. the kids loved it, and are totally exhausted. while it's fun, i have always had reluctance about indoor water parks. my concerns range from environmental impact (the energy consumption to heat the air, warm and pump the water, chemicals in the water, etc) to public health concerns (how may plantar's warts will i catch? how many people have open MRSA-infected wounds at the pool today? how many babies in that lazy river have poop in their diapers at any given time? how much chlorine does it really take to protect me? enough to burn out my eyeballs? more than that?), and prior to having kids, i officially and without hesitation swore off all indoor waterparks.

but....as with all things that you assume about kids and parenting when you yourself do not have kids.....i've had a change of heart, or at least a loosening of principles.

they love it, it's not so bad, and there is nothing nothing NOTHING like watching your kids enjoy something with great pleasure and abandon. in my life right now, living with a 2 year old and an almost-4-year old, their joy is my joy. it's that simple.

so, it is with all these reluctances and rationalizations that we spent 24 hours of last weekend at the great wolf lodge in wisconsin dells. we played in the wave pool, rode slides, squirted fire hoses, ordered pizza with friends, had a sleepover in a condo off the interstate, and generally enjoyed ourselves immensely. in fact, we enjoyed ourselves enough to be excited to head to a different water park 6 days later.

waterpark excitement