Park in the Dark

It's after dinner, it's dark, it's 40 degrees outside. Do we really need to take Hannah to the park even though we promised her this afternoon, out of sheer desperation for her to take a nap, that we would go?
Yes, let's do it.
I was hoping the park was closed. Not a swing was swinging, not a slide was sliding(?). Much to Hannah's delight and my dismay, the gate was open. Hannah flew through the playground, and Jane, still outside the park with Dan, was anxiously trying to get through the iron fence and babbled excitedly as she saw Hannah get on a swing.
Oh, what giddy girls they became! Hannah had one volume (LOUD!) and she was leading us through the park like an over-enthusiastic activities director- "Come on, guys!!!" "Over here, this way!!!" We let her lead, and we, giving in, followed.
Suddenly, and without warning, I was having a blast! I was chasing the girls through the jungle gym, crawling through tunnels, going down slides (three of us at a time). Soon I didn't care about the cold, the time or who could hear us in our exuberance (I think we were quite loud, come to think of it). We created a great memory tonight and to think I almost let the opportunity pass...
It made me realize, how important it is to just be a kid with my kids, to laugh at the things they laugh at and to play the way they play.


(I was just thinking how funny it would be if I acted the way I did tonight during the day with a full playground and all the park moms and nannies staring at me...)