Another Day with Not Much to Say
Today I took the kid I nanny to what I believe to be a uniquely New York City institution- an indoor playground.
Unlike the monstrous Chuck E Cheese’s and their various rip-offs that dot the suburbs, through out (mostly nicer areas of) Brooklyn and Manhattan you can find small store fronts that are essentially really nice playrooms. In affluent suburbs or areas of the country where large homes are the norm, these are unnecessary due to the existence of actual playrooms and large backyards. In the city, these provide novelty to kids who maybe don’t have large homes, siblings, or space for lots of larger toys in their own spaces, especially in the winter when outdoor playgrounds are out of the question. I kind of think they’re genius businesses, and also examples of how we can build an environment for kids where sharing toys is the norm and not owning every toy you want is a okay.
Anyway, we spent close to three hours in this place that was filled with a kid sized village, kind of like ones you would see in a children’s museum, legos, blocks, a small indoor treehouse, a chalkboard to draw on, loads of books, and just tons of random stuff. It felt very covid safe (hardly anyone was there) and was a fun indoor activity. I also didn’t have to constantly entertain the kiddo cause there was so much sensory input and it was safe for him to go off and play by himself for a bit.
I just got to sit and take in the Disney playlist that was on the entire time we were there. It truly had all the greatest hits, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to Frozen II and everything in between. I was without a doubt a Disney kid. I feel like I had every Disney movie on VHS and/or DVDs (can you tell I’m a younger millennial) and Disneyland was the family vacation spot of choice. Listening to the music today, it all came coming back to me. I remembered the words to everything, even though I haven’t seen most of these movies in years. The kid I nanny is definitely not a Disney kid, but occasionally he would look up and ask me what a song was called or what movie it was from or what it was about, and I just knew all the answers. I was a Disney encyclopedia.
For most of these movies I don’t remember the first time I saw them or having any intention to learn all the words to the songs by heart, but kids love repetition and I’m sure I watched these movies dozens or hundreds of times. I remember going to Blockbuster (yes, Blockbuster) and renting Cinderella (1950 animated version) every single week. I remember watching Sleeping Beauty and knowing when to cover my eyes during Prince Phillip’s fight with dragon-Maleficent or jumping off the couch trying to fly while I watched Peter Pan. These movies were a huge part of my life.
It was nice to take a stroll down memory lane this afternoon. It did make me want to revisit some of these films that meant so much to me and brought me so much joy through out my young life. I’ve been very focused recently on watching the “right” things- online theatre offerings, award contender, etc- and I haven’t been watching a lot of what I want. I miss comedy and musicals and familiar favorites that bring me joy. Maybe I will do a series on those instead.
For now I challenge you to think of something you loved when you were a kid, something that a formative cultural experience, and revisit it. How does it make you feel? How did it make you who are today, for better or for worse? What are we anyway if not a collection of the stories we tell ourselves?