His father's son

A and I went to swimming today (A was cranky, cranky, cranky) and then to Sea World. They've just re-opened the children's area, which went from being Shamu's Happy Harbor to the Sesame Street Bay of Play.

The major change is that there are now three actual rides there: a Dumbo knock-off of flying fish, a spinning ride not unlike the teacup ride, and a third that's hard to describe. We went on flying fish last Monday when the Bay of Play opened, but it was pouring and the rides were all shut down before we could ride the other two.

The spinning ride is basically this: you get into a cup-like thing with a wheel in the center. The cups spin around and you can rotate your own cup by spinning the wheel for even more stomach-lurching fun.

Now A has been on one ride, the flying fish ride, which is very gentle and easy-going. He wasn't thrilled; he wasn't scared. It was okay.

But the spinning ride, boy howdy--this is a hit. He got in and started turning the wheel. I didn't tell him to. I didn't show him that it moved the car. He started turning the wheel while we were waiting for the ride to start, got enough motion to confirm that he was moving the cup, and then giggled like mad and kept spinning it. The sheer joy he took in figuring that out, that's C all the way. Then he giggled throughout the entire ride. That might be me.

The problem with twenty-two (!) month olds on rides: they want to go again. Right now. Now now now! Look, all these people just got out and walked away (the fools!) and we can go into their cups and sit before anyone else comes in. Of course, I am from New York and this child will learn the hierarchy of lines and the bellows of hellfire that await cutters. But I did take him all the way through the line so he could ride it again. I think the teacups are going to have to make it back onto our list of things to ride at Disney World.