“...and stuff.”

Much, much agreed.

That’s Ashley’s Polaroid dress pictured, but Edmond’s greeting card dress was also stunning.

(Agreed.)

NONONONONONONONO... not blaming anyone for having a zoo membership, I’m just saying it’s a birthday-worthy event for us to even go to the zoo. At all. And growing up, it was a vacation-worthy event going to the zoo.

Yep. I recently took my kid to one that had a craft tent, a balloon “ball pit,” a full size trampoline decorated to look like a castle, a homemade cake... I was impressed because they obviously put a lot of time and effort into it. I saw the mom several days later at pick-up and said something to the effect of, “Hey…

Hey, look, that’s great for you and the other moms who’ve commented similarly. I’m not knocking you or anyone down for having a zoo membership. I’m really not.

I’m a mom who tries to talk people out of it. My husband’s unmarried child-free buddy was in town this weekend, and lightly chided us for not traveling more. He was all, “It’s so cheap if you do it right!” And I was like, “Even if I told you I had the money in my pocket right now, where would I put the child?!”

PREACH.

You give me hope. I hope my daughter looks back on all the zoo trips and thinks, dang my birthdays were fun.

S’WHAT I’M SAYIN’!!! For us, going to the zoo was a vacation-worthy venture (70s/80s.) For my kid, it’s down a rung to a birthday-worthy venture.

I’m old enough to remember when Chuck E Cheese was Showbiz. Those parties were THE ULTIMATE as a kid.

I’ve taken my kid to the zoo four times, and that was her birthday “party” each time.

I getcha. I do have my gym membership for similar reasons. They take her off my hands for two hours and wear her out, and it’s glorious.

Had to let mine lapse, though because who can work full time and go to the zoo?

It’s not. You’re missing my point.

I know right! I suck as a parent SO HARD that we’ve inadvertently trained our kid to think that going to the zoo is a birthday-worthy activity instead of a weekly or monthly affair! We obviously have no business raising a child, but my parents? Took us to the zoo twice. TWICE. Ever!

Oh my god the birthday parties. The Birthday Parties. I could die of all the exhaustion just watching some of these other parents.

*precious

Yeah, uncanny valley like whoa.