The Big Apple with the apple of my eye

By Cooper

Last week, for her eighth birthday, my daughter and I spent three days in New York City. My husband and I lived there for 10 years but moved out of the city when I was 8 months pregnant with her, so, our daughter feels as though she is a New Yorker. For years she has wanted to "go back."

And go back we did.

We rode the Ferris wheel in the giant Toys 'R Us in Times Square, we "adopted" a baby doll from the newborn hospital at FAO Schwarz, and, for the first time in my life, took a carriage ride in Central Park.

We walked everywhere, but the streets of New York never looked like this before.

We gazed up at the tall buildings and gaped at the pink hair on passersby, we enjoyed every bite of the "authentic" New York pizza we had for lunch and were awestruck by "Wicked" and "Stomp."

Seeing New York through the eyes of my daughter made me fully realize what an amazing city it is.    

It also made me realize how important it is for her to see that the world is big and there are all kinds of people who do all kinds of things. There is no limit to what she can do, and no boundaries on who she is or who she can be.

Our daughter is a kid who, from a young age, doesn't think in a box. She sees the world differently, with more of an "artist" eye than anything else. It has gotten her in trouble this year with some of the kids at school and with her teacher. When she saw the performers in "Stomp" making "music" with newspaper and garbage cans, her mouth dropped open. "I get this," I imagined her thinking to herself.

My birthday wish for my daughter is that she internalizes what she saw in New York and it helps her when the world opens the lid to that box and tries to pull her inside it.

We got off the plane from New York and went straight home to my daughter's family birthday party. The first thing she did was open the card I had tucked (I thought on the sly) under her gifts. In the card, which she read out loud, I listed all the things we did in New York and how much I enjoyed having that experience with her. She closed the card and said, "I loved it, Mom. Didn't you?"

I could not answer, I was crying too hard. 

Comments

[Tami]

My husband and I visited NYC last April with friends. It was my second trip. I vowed then that I would return with our daughter Isabelle (18 months at the time) when she was around 8 years old. Since then, I've had a strange longing for the city nearly every day. It is the most magical place on Earth, I don't care what the Disney people say. We love the picture book "WOW City!" My daughter loves to find the character "Izzy" and her daddy in each vibrant picture. And, she's learning about NYC landmarks and "traditions," so she'll be all ready for our trip in 7 years, or so! Your post made me reaffirm my determiniation to see the city through her eyes. Thanks!

[LauriJon]

This post has me homesick for New York. How wonderful you were able to have these expereiences with your daughter. My daughter was born in NYC and we lived there until she was 13 months. I know we'll definitely take her back for visits every once in a while. We now live across the country in sunny LA. (Culture shock.) Before we left, we took her on the small carousel in Bryant Park. If you go back to NYC I recommend that one too.
Thanks for a wonderful post.

[terry]

cooper, like you, I am a new yorker to my bones, and my daughter spent her first four years there. she still goes often to visit her grandparents. little that I've done with her has filled me with the out and out joy that I felt this year when I took her to see the gates in central park. we walked, we talked, we rode the carousel, we ate pizza...we were new yorkers again, if only for a couple of days.