You know that feeling of being super excited for something
to happen just to be disappointed when it finally occurs? Everyone's been there
at least once. Maybe twice. Perhaps even
thrice. It's doubtful it's ever happened to anyone more than thrice though.
When you're an adult, it's pretty easy to deal with that kind of
disappointment; you just dust yourself off and move on. However, when you're a
toddler, you find yourself overcome by this sudden rush of emotions that allows
you to respond in only one fashion.
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| Insert obligatory 'Boy Meets World' gif here... |
Ok, I realize that opening was incredibly vague and you're
probably not wanting me to end a story right there. Well, allow me to regale
you with a tale about Ellie's latest trip to the zoo. Actually, first of all,
let me say that it is never a good idea to go to the zoo in the mornings during
May. Schools are still in session and therefore, there are field trips aplenty
which can make things slightly more difficult for a dad with his toddler in a
stroller. "The More You Know."
As you may or may not know, last week marked the debut of
the Kansas City Zoo's newest attraction entitled Sting Ray Bay. I'm going to
assume that it's fairly obvious this is an attraction starring, yes, you
guessed it, the sting ray. Therefore, when you take all of that into account,
it makes perfect sense for the zoo to be packed. To be completely honest, I really wanted to
make sure we saw the exhibit. Ellie probably was indifferent to it at best.
Regardless, we hotfooted it over to Sting Ray Bay and hopped in line as soon as
we entered the zoo.
First thing we had to do upon entering the exhibit is to
wash our hands and arms all the way up to our elbows. Apparently the zoo wishes
to keep the sting rays healthy. Then, after washing, it was time to wander up
to the tank and thrust our hands in. Well, I thrust my hands in. Ellie,
meanwhile, stood nervously watching me as I touched a sting ray's
rubbery-feeling skin and/or hide. After a few minutes of trying to help Ellie
touch the rays I gave up as the combination of her uncertainty and her
inability to reach that far into the water was standing in our way.
After washing our hands and arms off one more time, we bid
adieu to the sting rays and headed outside where Ellie immediately declared
"Tiger" in a booming voice. It is here that I feel the urge to specify
that it would be unusual for a tiger to be roaming free at the Kansas City Zoo.
Feel free to take a sigh of relief that that was indeed the case. Although, it
is common to see statues of tigers around the zoo as Ellie did on this
occasion. She ran up to the statues, hopped on its back, and proceeded to wrap
her tiny arms around its neck over and over again until it was finally time to
head on our way.
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| Don't ask me why Ellie is sticking her tongue out in this picture. She's just weird. |
At this point, I specifically asked Ellie what she wanted to
see more than anything. Her response? "Tiger." Now, a good father
would probably take his daughter to the tigers at that moment. What did I do? I
took her to see the penguins, elephants, orangutans, polar bear, and even a
bird show. Throughout each of these experiences, Ellie's requests for
"Tiger" still rang true. Well, not the bird show. In that instance,
those "Tiger" calls were instead replaced with a chorus of
"Again" every time a bird swooped over our heads on its way across
the auditorium.
Finally, the time had come. With the sun reaching its peak
in the midday sky, I knew our time at the zoo was coming to a close. Therefore,
I saw no better way to spend our closing minutes than to take Ellie to see the
tigers at long last. Lucky for me that I chose to go when I did as we received
the unexpected treat of seeing one tiger cool itself in its little pool as its
buddy prowled the confines of the enclosure looking for any sign of escape.
Either that or it was just looking for the perfect place to take a nap because
that was the very next thing it did. I can't be certain though.
The big take-aways from this zoo trip? Well, number one, try
to go in the afternoon to avoid field trips. Number two, no matter how many times a toddler asks a tiger for a fist bump, the sad truth is that it will never be given. Number three, continue to deeply
encourage and foster Ellie's love of tigers to no end. Ok, maybe I should specify that my daughter should always shun tigers if they come from Detroit, LSU, or Auburn. Details, details.
#DaddyWrite
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