So the weekend has come and you are sitting around trying to figure out what to do. Funny thing is as you throw out ideas you realize you can’t do this or that because one kid doesn’t like to. You finally realize you spent all the time you had for doing something just thinking about what to do. A few weeks back we were in this boat. At one point I looked at my wife and said “let’s throw the kids in the car and drive 3 hours to Niagra Falls, walk around for an hour and then come home.” After staring at me for a few minutes my wife shook her head no, that was a bit to spontaneous. Then she said “what about going canoing?” Here was an idea.

I pulled up the website to get the information and discovered that we would have to split into two canoes, but the six of us could call all fit in a raft. With all the information we needed we pack some snacks and the kids in the car and set off on our three to five hour tour. Our kids were not convinced, but kids don’t always get the choice of having fun with their parents. When we arrived at the livery the kids got excited as they saw all the boats, people, and the river itself. We suited up with our life jackets, each grabbed paddle, and hoped in the raft.

The first few minutes were uncertain. By that I mean the kids weren’t sure if they were supposed to be having fun or actually were. Than the big moment came, we were heading towards the side of the river and a giant log. The kids moblized and began paddling to avoid our sudden peril. We didn’t hit the log or the side of the river, but we did start spinning in a circle. From that moment on we had a blast. Each time we got stuck, it wasn’t complaining, it was all of us working as a team. The 3 year old paddled just as hard as the 10 year old.

Our shinning moment came after our half way point pit stop. We came to a spot in the river where you either got stuck on a sand bar and drug your craft over it, or you went through a narrow pass with a log sticking out just above the height of a boat. We only gave it a moments thought and surged ahead to the passage with the log. With several on lookers we paddled perfectly and all ducked at the moment the log passed over the boat. It was a moment we will cherish for many years to come. We did get stuck on rocks here and there, but our spirits could not be broken.

Being a parent is challenging, but just a few moments of everyone coming together makes it all worth the challenge. Enjoy the moments you get.