Doing the zoo.

     A few weekends ago the family went to the zoo together.  It was Ian's idea which was an unusual thing indeed.  Being very observant is one of the things that I am very good at.  I tend to pay attention to too much too often and consequently I think a lot about a lot of things.  (I trust I made my self obscure in that last sentence.)
     Ian is the eldest child in this family.  I have always had a lot of sympathy for eldest children along with a great deal of admiration too.  The oldest child in any family is, let's face it, an experiment in parenting.  From sleeping through the night to potty training to driver's education everything that a parent does with the first child is a learning experience.  The fact that Ian survived and is the upright, faithful, well-adjusted man that he is is a testament to the Grace of God and nothing else.  But I digress here.
     When he was younger going anywhere with Ian was a battle.  He didn't want to and that was just plain it.  He went after all trips like picnics, hiking trips, and stuff like that were family activities and he had no choice but getting him to go was a battle.  The funny thing about the battle was that we would fight it starting the night before we were to go until we got to wherever we were going.  Once we parked the car Ian was all over the trip.  He was as happy as any of us to be there.  The problem was always convincing him to go. 
     Another thing about Ian was the fact that the rest of the family tends to have a very strange sense of humor.  We pun, quote movies randomly, and generally make fun of life.  Ian wasn't so much into that kind of silliness.  He was much more serious than the rest of us.  Now though he has grown up, learned that humor helps us all get through life, or found the lighter side, I don't know.  All I know is that he jokes as much as any of the rest of us.
     Maybe the eldest just takes a little longer to recover from his parent's mistakes but it is nice to hear Ian's laugh and to have him plan a trip to the zoo.  Layn is one lucky kid to have such a daddy.