The water park

I took my children to a water park near Barcelona. It's one of my favourite childhood memories so I was really looking forward to it.

When you look at the photos, you may think we had a wonderful time. In reality, it was a total disaster.

I didn't know that children could be unhappy in a water park. I thought it was impossible, like being unhappy on Christmas morning. But my 6yo was upset because I was not buying her a toy and my 4yo had several meltdowns because the water was too cold, even if it's 38C outside.

The experience made me think. A lot. About how much my memories are tainted: Is it possible that I loved going to water parks BUT my parents hated it?

Or... Are my children much more of a pain than I was?

AND:

How much of the picture perfect moments we share as parents hide a bad or a truly horrible day?

As one of my friends has taught me, I kept looking for happiness at the water park, and I found it despite my little ones. So this perfect picture is a tribute to what raising children may be for some of us: 75% of pain and hard work, 25% of joy. But oh! The Joy… when it comes to parenting, it can be a million times bigger than any other joy. Totally worth it.

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