XClose
Travels With Child : http://www.travelswithchild.org

Local Treks

Monday, 22 March 2010

Yes, really. Bowling.

Click on image for a larger version
file-246
Ok so this is not officially a travel post, but it still ranks as a Thing To Do, wherever you are - in much of the United States at least.  A pretty good Thing To Do, actually, no matter how much I might have despised it growing up.

There are a few reasons why we took our daughter bowling the first time - primarily, it was the only thing open, aside from the coffee shop, that didn't involve a truck-stop or an all-night diner.  Have I mentioned she wakes up early?  Ahuh.  Bowling doesn't require that many active brain cells either - wait, hold your emails - lots of smart people bowl… just not in the very early bits of a Saturday or Sunday.  That's when the smart parents with young kids bowl.  Why? because you can spend an hour rolling a 6lb ball slowly down a strip of wood (hopefully more than once), and there are plenty of chances to cheer on your wide-awake kid.

A reason why we've gone back, aside from the delight we take in letting her heave a heavy object around someone else's wood floor for once, is that bowling is a lot different than you remember.  There are bumpers that keep the ball out of the gutter, for one.  And some lanes have assist-ramps that speed up the glacial pace of a toddler-powered ball, so that you can get off the lanes before the leagues roll in.  

That leads me to the last reason why we still go bowling from time to time: the look on her face when she knocks down a bunch of pins. And the way we all get to cheer each other on.

And for what it's worth?  Bowling alleys are loud enough to handle a couple kids' birthday parties at a time, without anyone much noticing a difference; so any mid-morning meltdowns just kind of disappear into the slightly-sticky carpet as if they never happened.  Plus, the bowling shoes still rock.

A few things to bring when you go:
  • Socks.  Seriously.  Don't forget socks.
  • A snack, or a couple quarters for a snack.
  • Your choice of hand cleaner, before they reach for the snack.
Posted in Americas : Dec.-Feb. : June-Aug. : March-May : Sept.-Nov. : Young Child by Fran W. at 10:47 PMPermalink

Trackback URL for this blog entry:

Tags: , , ,

Comments

Add a new comment
Title
Author Anonymous Poster
  Create a new account
Comment
Anti-spam Enter the following text into the box:
To add more detailed comments, or to upload files, see the full comment form.
 
site info
info at travelswithchild.org | © travelswithchild.org

you are welcome to link to the content in these pages. 
copying it wholesale requires permission of the post's author. 
no reproduction of images is permitted unless you have express written agreement from the post's author.

This site made manifest by Manifesto software