Adventures at Pride

 We had the fortune of attending our local Pride Festival today. (Maybe yesterday by the time I hit publish on this, I'm cutting it close! 😂) 

They moved the venue this year, closing off the center of the town rather than squeezing it all into a school parking lot. On the one hand, the larger size was really nice. On the other hand, the subsequent parking challenges were... not. Took an hour to find a spot, and my husband was about ready to give up and head home.

But the kids had been looking forward to this all week, and we were meeting friends, so we persevered. And it was worth it.

Mostly we hung around the main stage, where the music was loud and the kid crafts were plentiful. Even won a few games of Bingo (where they'd redone the cards to say "PRIDE" at the top instead).

Our youngest was especially thrilled. She's a huge Elsa fan, and so when "Let it Go" started playing... Well, she claimed my cell phone, and took lots of pictures. They sang Frozen songs all the way home, and talked about how much fun they had this year.

Honestly, I love bringing my kids to Pride. Last year was their first year, and they remember it fondly. (Particularly all the lollipops they sweet talked from the various vendors). Pride has rainbows and bubbles and games and music and hugs and happy people and we let them pick desserts from their choice of snack carts, so all in all it's a perfect day for a pair of preschoolers. (They were disappointed at the lack of face painting this year, but I think the addition of the sno cones softened the blow on that disappointment.)

I want to bring them every year. There's so much division in the world right now, and I think it's important to expose them to wholesome events focused on love and acceptance. 

Growing up, I was taught shame - of my body, of my flaws, of me - and I'm still working to unto the damage that's caused.

And while I don't identify as a member of a LGBTQ community, their struggles are our struggles. We must all stand up against the hate threatening to consume the world. We can't afford to do nothing; it will come for us all, in the end, unless we stand together and stop it.

Not to mention... I want to teach my daughters to have pride in who they are as people, no matter who they decide to become. To love others, for being who they are, and standing in solidarity with those who need our support the most. I still have a lifetime of deconstructing the lies I was told, but I can break the cycle. Teach them to live their lives with their shoulders back, their heads held high. Set the examples I wish had been set for me. And sometimes that means bringing them to places where they can see others doing the same, regardless of the challenges.

Plus, any excuse to wear the snazzy rainbow earrings I picked up last year is a good one.