The Wading Game

How do you enjoy being outside on a 95-degree Sunday? We took Ava to the wading pool in Tower Grove Park yesterday. It wasn't too crowded, so we staked out a shady corner of the pool, dunked our feet in, kept a water bottle close at hand, and hardly noticed the heat. Ava made friends with another little girl who had a little toy turtle with her. Ava didn't bring any toys, but a leaf she found floating in the pool served just as well - Ava called it her "water leaf" and hung onto it most of the time she was in the water. A couple of unruly hoosier kids were terrorizing large parts of the pool, pouring buckets of water on strangers and helping themselves to other kids' toys, taking advantage of the hesitancy of yuppie parents to discipline children. Their chain-smoking, snaggletoothed, prison-tattooed mother sure as hell wasn't going to say a word. I don't get how some parents can just sit there while their kids are acting like such bastards. I was ready to make a scene if they came within ten yards of my kid. Luckily, they stayed away, and we were able to have a nice time without having to yell at anybody.