Riding in the Rain

We were already planning on going for a bike ride after mass.

The big kids wanted to have a Nerf gun war in the park and Claire was hell bent on riding her bike for miles.

As we walked into the door and started to change our church clothes and grab a quick sandwich, the sky turned dark, the thunder started to rumble and it was only a matter of time before rain and probably lots of it, was on its way.

I began to back track..."well, maybe we can make tea and read," to which, "BOOORRRIIINNGG," was their collective response.

"Come on, mom, it's not like it's acid rain.  It won't kill you.  Who cares if we all get soaked and muddy and struck by lightning.  It will be an adventure."

When did I become such an old fogy?  I mean really...the whole point of childhood is to splash in as many puddles as you can, to get as dirty as humanly possible and to soak up as much of the outdoors as you possibly can before you're forced to come inside when the street lights come on.

Okay, I relented.  Let's do this.

Moments after we left, it down poured.  And like a dip shit, I was wearing a white shirt and mascara, so I looked like a heroin addict, but no one cared.  That weren't looking at me.  They were being amateur snipers with their Nerf guns.

And then, going down a gravel patch by the park, Kate slid, fell off of her scooter and scraped the shit out of her knee, arm and hands.  And I thought...see, it's too slick. What were we thinking?

Assuming that we'd head home, I turned the corner to see Kate talking.

"What's up, Love?"

"Nothing.  I'm just talking to myself.  It's the best way for me to communicate what I need.  So, I'm saying, 'We should really go home now.  My knee is bleeding.' But the other part of me, the fun part, is saying...carry on, carry on.  Do you ever do that, mama?  Talk to yourself and decide what's best?"

"I do it all day long, Sweetheart."

And then we both looked up to the monsoon sky, stuck our tongues out and felt the rain.  We laughed.  I kissed her arm, her elbow, her knee and then said, "well, what are you waiting for?  Carry on, carry on."

So glad that for a few hours, I won the wet t-shirt mom concert at the school playground deciding that riding in the rain was the best decision for just a few hours on a Sunday afternoon.