Two nights ago it was really windy, if you didn't notice. While I was standing in it I decided it was time to fly kites. The kids all have small kites and Nathan had a new kite he hadn't ever flown before. We got them all out and spent two hours untangling them for every half hour we spent flying them. They got stuck on roofs, in trees, in bushes, over fences and almost in a power line. Cars ran over the strings that laid on the ground; cats chased the kite tails, and D chased the cats. It was a lot of fun. While chasing down Nathan's kite I thought about the silliness of it. The kites all cost about $1 (except for Nathan's), and the time spent untangling each one was probably not worth it. The kids enjoyed it though. Heck I enjoyed it. It was simple, and fun and it wore the kids out. Sure the kids have never been to Disneyland, or to the beach or out of the state, but not every kid in our neighborhood owns a kite. Not every kid that owns a kite actually goes out to fly it. It's the simple things like that that make childhood amazing. It's not the parties, or the trips. It's the times that they get to go set up a candy stand, or fly a kite, or play games in the livingroom with the family. It's the times that are made by watching America's funniest home videos. Or when you sit and try to be the winner on Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? It's always the small things that matter. Trips and parties are great, but family time is what truly matters.
