SubscribeRiding the kiddie roller coasters
When was the last time, my Baby Boomer friends, that you were on a roller coaster?
I rode three over the weekend on an outing with my daughter, sister and her foster son to a nearby amusement park. Of course, I didn’t ride any of those roller coasters that flip you upside down and sideways and then drop you from ridiculous heights while hurtling along twisting tracks. I picked what I thought were the kiddie coasters, built to thrill the preteen crowd. In fact, one of them had a Rugrats cartoon theme and some of the children riding with their parents looked to be no older than six or seven years old.
Looks can be deceiving. I screamed and closed my eyes; so did my sister. My daughter laughed and teased us but she was there beside me, coaching me on the proper roller coaster etiquette. I flunked, but she was delighted.
Later that evening, I received a call from a college friend and during the conversation I grumbled about a few aches and pains from the jerking I experienced on the roller coasters. No way, she told me, would she ever do that again. I was so happy that I did.
I never expected at this age to be riding roller coasters, even if they are the baby ones, and I don’t know that I’ll do it again. But that’s one of the perks of being a part of the Sandwich Generation. As a 50-something Mom of a teenager, I still get to play.
When was your last playtime?
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I am a member of the Sandwich Generation, a Baby Boomer raising a teenage daughter and dealing with the needs of an aging mother. I am a veteran journalist, having worked for more than three decades as a reporter and editor. Mostly recently, I was an editor with the Metro section of The Washington Post.
