by Glenda K. Fralin

Created on: January 12, 2009   Last Updated: April 17, 2009

The awesome pleasure of a child's rapt face at a parade brings back the memories of the days we took our children to our small town local parades. I still love a parade. I love watching children running after candy, making their parents run after them wishing they had a leash.

My husband and I are now the grandparents. We now get to set back, hold the youngest on our lap, and let our adult children fly after over excited children as we set and laugh. We laugh with glee at the sight of the little kids adventures and we laugh at our children because we don't have to do the running anymore.

We had three children. Well they are still ours but they have to take care of themselves at least that is the way it's supposed to be.

Our older two children are about three and one half years apart. They were a bit of a challenge, but with two parents you have the chance to divide and conquer both a child and the crowds that line the path.

By the time number three came along, seven years after the second, we were able to pass some of the running off to the oldest that was ten years older.

Our second was more than willing, but had such a short attention span when the candy was tossed he was as much of a handful and the youngest. Let's take a look at a day at our downtown parade when our youngest was around three. You do the math; I already gave you the age differences. That is assuming you know how to do simple sums.

We prearranged to meet with our friends early at whoever has the closest house to the parade route. Most of the time there were three or four couples which added up to about a dozen children of various ages and behaviors. We all took turns babysitting each others kids and when we all got together we usually had all the kids. So, we were all very familiar with each other's children and felt somewhat of a parental freedom with them as well.

The herd trots toward the sidewalk area that someone has been guarding with all our lawn chairs lined up and fending off others who had the same idea. We just got everybody in place when the first entry passes us which are usually a police car or fire engine who blows their shrill sirens. Most of the kids are delighted and parents are squatting by their offspring pointing and laughing at the child's reaction.

No quite so for all of us. My youngest unfortunately had very sensitive hearing and didn't much care for loud noises. She would get cranky because the ear muffs were hot but necessary. My husband usually took care of her in the background

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