Big Girl Day

Next subway/ going anywhere: It seems like every time we go on the bus or train, we are in a hurry to make it to wherever we are going. I decided to have a special outing today and stick to Leila's pace. We walked to the underground train (without stroller or big diaper bag) at a nice leisurely stroll. Since we live close to the main Castro station, I let Leila pick which one she wanted to take, the underground trains or the historic F line train (my preference). She chose to go underground. We got down there and spent a good 10 minutes just watching trains come and go from the platform above. After the first few went by, she began a running commentary on the specific letters on each train, and where they might be going.

We ended up going downtown and hung out at the cable cars for a while, watching them turn around on the platform. On our way home, I picked a warm fat pretzel from the street vendor and Leila asked, "Is this a pretzel or a bagel?" I told her it was both. Upon returning to the station, I let her step on and off the escalator by herself and she beamed with pride. She also showed her "special ticket" to the agent when asked, and looked back at me smiling. I then let her sit in a seat across from me, not on lap as usual.

She seemed to realize I was giving her more responsibility today. While it's so hard for me to imagine her riding by herself one day, I think it's good for her to feel like she has some control when we are out and about. While most days consist of countless toddler tantrums, today we had none. Today was the best $4.50 ($2 train and $2.50 pretzel) I have ever spent.