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Last week, I went on an exciting adventure.
After a lovely banquet with princesses and kings, my three year-old daughter and I travelled through enchanted woods and forests with our wands, discovering magic crystals, opening up treasure chests filled with gold, collecting enchanted runes and taking instructions from a wizard. Oh, and there was a fire-breathing dragon as well.
And no, we weren’t in our living room playing pretend (as fun as that can be).
We had the privilege of experiencing MagiQuest, a new adventure available at the über family-friendly Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls. The first of its kind in Canada, the MagiQuest adventure is an interactive role-playing game that includes a variety of quests that you can go on as a family, or send your older kids on by themselves.
What did Ally love? Her magic wand caused amazing things to happen—chests opened to reveal surprises, fairies spoke to her, crystals glowed and she got to go on an interactive treasure hunt taking her from one floor to another until she completed her ‘task’.
What did I love? Aside from the simple ‘cool’ factor that came with the design, I really appreciated the fact that the game included a multitude of quests, meaning that it wasn’t something that could be finished in an hour and easily forgotten. Even cooler, the wands have a virtual memory, allowing the player to continue on their quests during future visits without having to start from scratch again.
Keith Simmonds, the General Manager of Great Wolf Lodge made a point of sharing how the MagiQuest adventure fit perfectly with the lodge mandate in helping to “create family traditions, one family at a time” and I have to agree. I wasn’t the only parent enthusiastically waving a wand at the walls and other objects. In fact, my mother (who came along for the adventure) spent the evening poring over the quest book to determine which one to try in the morning.
In short, it looks as though Great Wolf Lodge and MagiQuest is about to inspire a new generation of wannabe wizards (move over, Harry Potter).
And okay, I liked the magic wand too. The only trouble I had was when I brought it home and pointed it at all my dirty laundry and piles of dishes, nothing happened. I’m hoping that they can work on that for the future.
There is no denying my sister and I are simpletons. We put it out there time and time again. We increasingly feel challenged by our children, and have moments when parenting can be a bit tricky. Sometimes we just don’t know what to say or how to handle situations. I think that is why we developed the habit of talking to our kiddles in Top 40 Hits. You can only say ‘no’ so many times and sometimes it just feels good to say things in song. Plus, if you really think about it, we are giving our kids a lesson in culture, expanding their musical prowess.
On any given day you can hear me saying, “Hey, Nate dog, where’s G-Child?” That might be why my kids spend a lot of time looking confused and not knowing what is going on. While I should address my children in a more mature manner, throwing a lyric at them when they are giving me some attitude is too much fun. It confuses them, it shows them that, ‘Guess what? I know more than you.’
If a child is giving you the stink eye, why not say: “Hey I see what you’re doing there: Vogue, strike a pose”.
When they are hanging off of you, jungle gym style, a quick hammer-time with “Can’t touch this” comes in handy.
When my daughter acts like a whiny mofo, I serenade her with “Don’t cry for me Argentina”.
If my kids won’t cooperate while I am trying to get out the door, a simple “Hey hey, you you, get into my car.” Not only is it getting the message across, but Billy Ocean really lifts the mood.
Here are some big hits and how they come in handy:
Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” – When your child needs to learn something new or directions with a task, you throw this at them.
Gloria Estefan’s “Turn the Beat Around” – If your child is going down the wrong path, spazzing and losing their sh*t, they need to turn their beat around, and fast.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers “Don’t Do Me Like That” – When your child forgets their manners and is trying to humiliate you.
Erasure’s “Respect” – this one is easy, they have a bit of a ‘tude and are trying to tough-talk you, try: “Oh baby please, give a little respect, to me.”
The Ting Tings “That’s Not My Name” – This one is obvious. When they have said Mom more times than you can count, you need to sing this out loud.
It is totally reasonable to modify a lyric here and there, if need be. For instance, if your child has an accident of some sort, Human League’s “Human” comes in handy when changed to “you’re only human, of flesh and blood, you’re made.”
When my children finish cleaning up and ask if it is a job well done, I throw some Cyndi at them: “It’s good enough, for me, it’s good enough for me, it’s good enough, good enough for me, yayayayayaaaa.” I use this song so much that I now just say, “Dude, it’s Goonies”, and the children get it.
Give it a try. It’s liberating.
Comments
Meg and I highly recommend incorporating some holiday tunes——