F is for Fireworks

Kids love fireworks! Ok, there are a few exceptions-like those under 2 who hate loud noises and others who get so cranks when they're up after bedtime they don't like anything.

My kids usually get to see fireworks twice a year. Once, obviously, is Independence Day. There are always fireworks shows to be found on July 4 or that weekend. The other time my kids get to see fireworks is on the final night of our local carnival.

The show isn't long-about 15 minutes. But expectations are always high. We arrive early and put our chairs and blankets at our seat, then walk to the food vendors for dinner and funnel cake. Then we sit down to eat and the kids start asking, "When are the fireworks going to start?"

Eventually the fireworks do start, and the kids "ooh" and "aah" at the prettiest ones. Then all too soon they're over and we pack up our stuff and walk back to the car and go home. The kids get to stay up about 2 hours after their normal bedtime, and they're usually agreeable to go right to bed when we get home. They're not so agreeable about waking up the next day for Sunday School, though!

Some years we get lucky, and we see an advertisement for fireworks at another carnival that we can go to. Other years it rains on July 4 and the fireworks are canceled or postponed, and we don't get to go.

But, for all the effort it takes to see fireworks (planning, packing, staying up late, fighting crowds, cranky kids the next day), it's worth it! The kids always remember seeing fireworks and love the opportunity to see them again.

If you're reluctant to go, there are ways to "fake it," which we did when the kids were little.

• First, eat at home instead of buying food out (especially good advice for babies or fussy eaters).
• Second, give the kids their baths early (which we still do), then put them in pajamas.
• Third, if it's the first year you're going to a fireworks show, scope out the area. Sometimes you can avoid paying to park by parking a few blocks away and walking. (But remember that often the parking money does benefit a local fire company or non-profit.) But if you're taking little ones in pjs, don't even try to park at the show. Look for a shopping center or other area where cars are gathering-there's a good chance you can see the fireworks from your car by parking there. We've done that a few times when the kids were little.
• Fifth, pack some snacks, drinks and blankets so you can get cozy. If you don't have a van you can open to see, take chairs to sit outside the car. Unless you can park near a grassy area, remind the kids you are in a parking lot and they need to stay with you and not run around the cars or climb around inside the car.
• Sixth, sit back and enjoy the show.
• Seventh, after the show plan on sitting awhile. There aren't parking attendants at outside lots, so it may take awhile. Put on some kids music and let them sing, or listen to a book on tape as their bedtime story. If you're lucky, the kids may even fall asleep in the car.

If you're a person who likes routine and putting the kids to bed at the same time and following the same bedtime schedule, going to see fireworks can be disruptive. But, trust me, to break the routine for one night will be something the kids will enjoy and remember.