I hesitated to bring her to a museum. Would she run around like a crazy girl? Would she beg to go home because she's borrrred? I had been eyeing the advertisement outside of the Crocker for weeks that shows an Impressionist exhibit going on through the summer. Pair that with a special "pay what you wish" day, and I had no reason not to take her along with me.
On our walk to the museum - ironically I had to park in front of my work because that was the closest parking spot - she spotted a sculpture on the front lawn. A sculpture I never gave a second glance to.
This marked the opening of not just a new door for my daughter, but one for me as well. I'm a quiet, Impressionist, watercolor sort of girl. My daughter, on the other hand, seems to dig sculptures. The bolder and more tactile the better. She loved that they looked like slides, games and roller coasters. Hardly a surprise, I suppose - my little daredevil is always looking for fun and adventure in the ordinary.
Equipped with a "treasure map", my little girl was excited about looking at the art to find the clues shown in a book that the docent let us borrow. My fears of a noisy, bratty child in a quiet museum were thrown out the window. I became as excited as she, looking at art through her inquisitive eyes.
We saw two Monet's and I happily showed her the magic of his art -stand up close and all you see are messy, blurry brush strokes. Take a few steps back and a picture comes into focus. She blurted out loud, "That's pretty cool!" Hearing her say that was easily my cherry on top for the day.
The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was stumbling upon Tot Land, the most wonderful children's playroom I've ever seen. Art, books, music...as my daughter said, it was "magical". I couldn’t say it any better myself.
Now if I could only get her to share in my love for eating out at new restaurants!
