observances

my children and I went to a local video game/fun place today. we went with the intent to have a fun day, since it had been a good week and I did not threaten them with death(their dad my hubby has been gone for a week)
they were extremely excited to be there as I had made them do work while at home. this was the day I promised them to have fun. not just running errands with mom and "not having any fun at all"
after getting tokens we went to work. connor or course went to the games where you can shoot and kill things, not really worrying about what tickets he got. I of course went to the ticket games, where winning is easy and you get flooded with tickets; enough for both children to get something Cool.
an hour later we had a stash of tickets to spend. as christian was playing the games, it ocurred to me that the playing was only a small part of the craigs cruisers experience. it was the Score at the end, the winnings. like the gambler that sits at the table, it is the thrill of the risk but it the payoff that they wait for. my children were in it for the payoff; the cool stuff waiting for them at the end. and the dreaded question....mom can I have more tokens?
I spent more money than I wanted to spend, but I figured, you are only young once, the summer is ending, and hey theyre my kids. another happy time they can remember later.