Yesterday we kicked off our Fourth of July festivities by traveling to a local suburb for our annual appearance at RibFest. The name of the fest pretty much sums up the nature of the event, but what we like most about it is that that not only are kids admitted free, there is also a huge family area with free activities for the kids. We like “free”. Among the attractions are moon bounces, bungee jumps, jousts, slides, magic shows, giveaways, and the festival staple….PETTING ZOO.
For years my kids have all eagerly indulged in the chance to fondle unruly barnyard creatures and feed them from overpriced Dixie cups of corn and this year was no exception. My almost 11 year old deemed himself too cool for the likes of a petting zoo and instead opted to hang out with the other prepubescents at the SoBe Lifewater tent in hopes of winning another sponsor logo-ed frisbee. My 9 and 7 year olds however, started asking for feed money the second they spotted chickenwire fencing.
I was excited that our toddler, at 2, would be old enough to partake in the fun and appreciate the opportunity to mingle with a pen full of aggressive goats.
Apparently today’s toddlers are much more saavy than their older siblings where communicable diseases are concerned. They have bought into the hype and the rampant paranoia surrounding zoonotic diseases as evidenced by K’s reactions below.
“Are you kidding me? I’m not touching those. What? You WANT me to get Cryptosporidiosis?”
“Has this thing been checked for rabies?”
“This place REEKS of e.coli. Can I please get some hand sanitizer?”
Just wait until mini Howard Hughes gets a load of today’s local carnival….
Tags: petting zoo
My kids act the same way. When I took them to the fair, they were terrified of the pigs.