To understate things, being a parent brings with it a decent amount of new experiences. Some of them are more emotional, like feeling both unconditional love at the same time as pretty extreme annoyance when your little guy is full of smiles and wants to play at 4:00am.
Then there are things like Sports Day, which I have experienced many times but always on the side of the teachers and not as a parent.
Sports Day at least over here, is very much a community function. The students and parents, sometimes even grandparents, come together to do different activities. Most of these activities are done by the students but there are usually chances for the parents to get involved as well. Plus, dancing.
These events are pretty easy to describe when it is at an elementary school or a junior high school. Relay races, high jumps, tug of war, etc. But my son is only just one. His school is a day care where the oldest students are 4. What on earth can you do with them that can be called a sports day?
Well, it turns out the older kids are pretty good at running around, so with them you do a little obstacle course. Run through the box, stand on the hula hoop while your parent loops it over you, touch the four stars and run to the goal.
But with kids who are 0 to 1? Most of whom can’t run? You have their parents carry them. And then run to a cone that tells you where to go next. Then you put a little paper cape on your child and then run them through streamers. And what’s best is you do it without caring who wins. You just want to get your little one smiling and hope your spouse captures some good pictures of the event.
When that is over you spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around downtown Shinjuku because it is a beautiful day. At least that is what I did today. Sadly all the good pictures are on the Mrs. camera and all I really have is this one that gives a little since of the space-themed sports day.
Deadly Troubadour 