Still Luggin Around My Stroller

"Those are some BIG babies!" comments a passerby, casting a curious eye at the big boys stuffed into my stroller. "Ohhhhh, I see you've brought your stroller, " observes a strollerless twin mom friend of mine, as if to say, "Ah ha - caught ya!" Enough already. Yes, I've brought along my stroller. Yes, it still sometimes carries my two 3-year-olds. Yes, my kids are kind of big for their age.

This history of how I used my stroller isn't an extraordinary one. I did what you all did: stashed it full of diapers and wipes, cheerios and sippy cups, toys and the kitchen sink. I ventured out solo, just me and my boys. Having a stroller liberated me, freed me up to explore exotic places like Target and our neighborhood Starbucks. Have stroller, will travel (but not far)!

When my boys hit age 2 (before that, even) they tried to sever relations with our stroller. Still, though, I brought it along, fatigue only sometimes convincing my pooped out toddlers to hop in and enjoy the ride. Eventually, we used it less and less. By two-and-a-half, we were more or less done with it. My boys wanted to walk and walk they did with nary an incident. I started to see the stroller as a major hassle to bring along. I grew cocky, leaving it at home as we went out, taunting fate. That's when it happpened. Call it what you will...terrible 2's, bad attitudes, stupid mom - whatever. My boys put their fraternal heads together and hatched out an evil plan.

It happened at Gilroy Gardens, mid-summer in 100+ degree heat. Luckily, I had had the foresight to bring the stroller along, pushing it around like a big locker on wheels as I followed my boys about the park. With glee, they ran from ride to ride, while I trailed along, slapping on sunscreen. With the smart people seeking shelter from the heat at home, the park was nearly empty. On almost every ride, we got to go twice without having to get off, a real treat for my boys."Again, again!" they screamed, like Teletubbies. I, on the other hand, get dizzy on every ride but the train. "Again?" I sighed. As naptime neared, I announced to my fun seeking twosome that it was almost time to leave. "Let's head for our air-conditioned car, " I suggested cheerfully.

But they were on to me. "No way!" they screamed, hitting and kicking me back. One ran to the right, the other to the left and there they stood, mocking me in the hot sun. I managed to grab one boy and wrestle him into the stroller, tears streaming down his betrayed little face. One more boy to go. Back to the bullring I went, ready for battle. He darted, he faked left but I got him. Pinned him down into the stroller, latching the straps into place. Victory!

I tried to compose my frazzled self. My much too small sun hat kept popping off my head, the unflattering chin strap barely holding it in place. My clothes were were a rumpled, sweaty mess. I looked like hell, but I didn't care. I had but one goal: Get these buggers to the car! But then, of course, my boys decided to STAND up in the stroller, testing the limits of the lap belts. "Sit down, please!" I commanded, stopping the stroller. "They're two-and-a half, don't let them win!" I told myself. If the park had been crowded, we'd have been in the thick of the 1pm naptime exodus, but on this scorcher of a summer day, very few people were on hand to witness my boys' unprecedented dual tantrums. Still standing in the stroller, with arms and feet flailing and tears and snot streaming, my poor deprived little boys were not going to give up easily. We were beyond the point of reason, beyond the magic of 1-2-3 Magic, and way beyond the effectiveness of a time-out. In an act of desperation, I pulled back on the stroller handlebars, tipping it back onto its hind wheels. A stroller wheelie! Pulled down by the weight of gravity, my boys were held into place and I wheelied our stroller all the way across the park and into the parking lot, quietly cursing myself, the sun, and my boys. Finally, back at the car, I cranked the a/c and headed for home, with both boys unconscious by the time we hit the main road. Relief. Without my stroller, I'd have still been in hot pursuit of my boys back at the park.

I know there will be many times when I'm faced with unruly 3-year-olds, stranded in public without my stroller, and I'm sure it'll be on a day when I'm also carrying all sorts of crap like jackets and lunch boxes. That's why there are times when I like having my stroller on standby; we don't always use it, just tuck it away wherever we are, just in case. We're usually out and about on foot these days, but I can anticipate the situations in which I might be needing it.

Here's my formula for deciding when to bring along my stroller when we're out in public:

Mommy is solo with kids + one or more of the following = a stroller day!

Close to naptime/bedtime
Cranky kids
Hellish night
Variable weather
Crowded places
Lots of walking involved
Outside a 30 minute drive from home
Stuff to carry (lunches, drums, jackets)
Super fun destination

This basically means that any time I take my kids to a place like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I'm stuffing my big boys into my stroller. People can stare all they want. Hey, at least I'm getting my money's worth out of that stroller!