You See Obstacles

The speed of parenting varies greatly between ages. When they're infants, you are slowed down by the amount of gear you have to gather together and their frequent nap schedule. Then around 2-3, you hit a sweet spot where your kid is old enough that you don't need to carry a huge pack of gear around with you can walk a little but has no problem riding in a stroller. Lexi and I walked so much with our son while he was that old. After 3, he decided that he wanted to walk with us without the stroller. We were excited to leave the stroller at home, that was until we found out just how hard it was to herd a 3 year old anywhere. On the way to a playground, he would just turn everything on the way into a playground, bouncing on benches and spinning round street signs. Not only would this make a short trip into a meandering march, but he would tire himself out with all this play before we got where we're going. The end result is that we ride our bikes and take the bus a lot more. Lexi and I hate driving and Lyft's don't work when you got a 3 year old with you so what else are you going to do. We still take walks as a family, but with an eye to transit alternatives just in case he tires himself out before we get home. We've also instituted a one block on one block off policy for carrying him, so we can help him get a little farther without becoming his personal palanquin.