So this one falls under the Parenting and Money Savings Category.
My husband and I decided to do a quick getaway with the kids for just the weekend. So we went to Mystic, CT. It's great. Highly recommend it for a quick getaway. Very walkable, lots of New England charm. Plus they have a fabulous Aquarium. Really fabulous.
So what's the problem you ask? No problem at all but what I learned by going with a 2 and 3 year old was that my husband and I probably enjoyed the Aquarium more and learned more than the children AT THIS AGE. Perhaps common sense to you all!
We sort of got caught up in the "we need to expose our children to more museums" mode. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. The more you expose your children to, the better. Expand those little brains of theirs as much as possible.
BUT, if you are looking to save a dime here and there... keep in mind a single ticket goes for $29.00.
Yes, multiply that by 4 and you are talking $116. Again fabulous if you are going to be there for the majority of the day and experience all the fabulous things they have there. Not so much when your toddlers attention span is not that big and they start losing steam faster than you realized they would from all the stimuli.
To be completely honest, they loved it. But here's what they loved:
Seeing the fish and turtles for about 10 minutes (they didn't really care they were all different and what their names or their history)
Playing in the playground for about 40 minutes (and they could have stayed longer)
Seeing the penguins (for about 5 minutes) I was probably more excited about this than them.
Seeing the jelly fish (for about 5 minutes)
We pretty much walked around with them the rest of the time (about an hour) more for our sake than theirs.
And then of course the obligatory gift shop... I don't need to expand on this one. But let's just say that we were there longer than we needed to be and the kids left crying and well I think we might have been too!
So what's my point here? My recommendation is to take the kids to the aquarium when they are just a tad bit older for your sake and theirs. You both will get so much more out of it...
Ok and here's the cost savings tip:
Take them to a pet store to see the fish and other animals... it's free and they are just as excited!!
Take them to a playground right after.
Boom, you save $116.
Again - this is just my perspective. I'm sure there are toddlers out there that are different - do what's right for you and your kid. This was just my experience!
Just enjoy your time with them - that's what they really want at this age, to spend time with YOU!
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