Yesterday Husband and I surprised the boys by taking them to Monster Jam at the Tacoma Dome. In retrospect, it would have been better if we had not made this outing a surprise because it was so out of the ordinary of what we usually do.
Neither right nor wrong of us, our family activities tend to center around quite, peaceful, and educational events. We have been to the local history, art, and glass museums several times. We enjoy the zoo and the science center, walks with the dog in the park or on the beach. We go to small community festivals and farmer’s markets. We shy away from large crowds and the noise and chaos that go along with them. But sometimes it is good to break from the norm and try something different.
Monster Jam. There were a lot of people. And it was loud. Very loud.
Even with our squishy neon orange earplugs, it was a feel-it-in-your-core-eyeball-buzzing loud.
So with no idea what they were in for, we parked, walked with a herd of people who swarmed the sidewalks waving black and white checkered flags as they went, entered the large cavernous space that is the Tacoma Dome, took our seats, and jammed earplugs into their ears. Carter started crying. Cody’s eyes welled up as he held his hands over his ears and told us again and again that it was too loud.
Not one of our best parenting moments.
But we stayed, we talked yelled over the din about what was going on (to the best of our ability, for we had never been to one of these either), and slowly they started to relax and watch. There were still times when the noise was too much for them, and during those times I pulled out my smuggled in contraband: string cheese and organic carrot slices (oh, how rebellious of me to sneak such items in!) They happily munched on cheese and organic carrots to sooth their sensitive souls and chose to sit on our laps instead of in their own seats, snuggling in close when the engines revved up.
In the end, we all had fun. The boys did have one request for us though. They asked that the next time we had a surprise for them, that it be a quiet one.
Shoes On The Wrong Feet 
This looks super! I think my oldest would love it, for youngest would be the same – too loud. 🙂 But anyway – boys will remember it for sure!:)
Once they got past the noise at the beginning, they did alright. There were times when the noise bothered them, but they were glad we went and thought it was pretty cool. And you are right, this is something they will remember!
My 5-year-old is not fond of loud venues either. We recently went to a college basketball game and he complained that it was too loud and we needed to “go home”. I bought him some cotton candy and he forgot about the noise…until the cotton candy was gone. LOL
Looks like a really fun show!
Hahaha – the magical powers of cotton candy!
It was a fun show. I am glad we went, but I am not sure we really need to make it a yearly thing…
Aww, bless them!
🙂
OMG MONSTER TRUCKS MONDAY MONDAY SUNDAY MONSTER TRUCKS YEAHHHHHHH lol I remember those commercials from when I was little! That photo took me RIGHT back!~
Haha – the enthusiasm in your comment made me laugh! It was quite the experience.
LOL I can hear the guy yelling now…. Awh the memories!
Grrrraaaaaaavvvvveee Digggger! How cool of you guys to try that.
Oh yeah! Grave Digger was the only one I had heard of. Our seats were right in front of where Grave Digger and some of the other more popular trucks hung out waiting their turn.
“Variety is the spice of life!” It’s nice that you do lots of different things. I have never been to see Monster Trucks, yet… 🙂 Looks fun, but I would have to bring ear plugs too!
We would not have been able to stay if we had not brought ear plugs – it was crazy loud! I am glad we did it too, it is good to experience a wide variety of things in life.
I’ve wondered what a monster truck rally was like and whether appropriate for a tiny car lover. I shall wait a few more years for the eardrum splitting experience (and possibly opt for a father/son outing).
I am glad I experienced it. It was fun and different from our norm. Carter was a bit on the young end for it, in my opinion, and the noise really did get to them. It would make for a great father/son outing! 🙂
A roaring fun surprise. Kind of reminds me with my son. He doesn’t like loud noise too. Between watching a movie vs restaurant, he’ll choose eating out in a heart beat. Thanks for sharing your wonderful family here.