I've never been very big on visits to the mall. Growing up, a lot of my friends could have been considered "mall rats" because they just loved to hang out at the mall for no particular reason than to just hang out. I was never one of those people.
Yesterday, however, I found myself enjoying the mall for the first time. When you have a child, you see the mall in a whole different light. When I went to the mall before, it was for a specific reason; I had something I needed to buy, or a task to accomplish. The crowded halls, the hustle and bustle, the flashing lights and people trying to sell you things from their stalls where all a huge distraction that I couldn't afford if I wanted to succeed on my errand. Now that I have Elijah in tow, the "distractions" are some of the reason the mall has become so much fun. He loves the Christmas lights and decorations. He enjoys watching all the people and being part of the interactions. He is thrilled with the play area they have at Valley Fair which is geared for children his age. Yesterday there were so many other moms there with their children, I could tell I wasn't the only one who thought the mall was a great idea for a "getaway."
After flouncing around in the play area for over an hour, we wound our way around to Santa Claus to get Elijah's picture taken. I tried to explain to him what it was all about, but he still wasn't too sure of the whole thing. He didn't cry when I placed him on Santa's knee, but his stoic expression made you think he might burst into tears at any second. After that, we went to the food court and ate the yogurt and string cheese I had packed for our snacks. I wisely left my wallet in the car because everything in the mall is just too expensive and I knew I might be tempted to fall for some salesman's pitch.
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