PRCAgenda_94Feb14 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

C`~-) Y '-} `, , r ` :~aa~r ars ~'~^ex. ~-~•.•-•-au~s:_~-..r..:rxzs.:.r~,:c_~:-sar_:~.-.e~+:V^z~.r-~~~:~~.~^.:svy^~:.n-~*rx.>.:.a_~-.:::.r-s..:.-~;cxniz~~+cecsa-..•~. :s,~..'^aicxe~w::,tn~~ -,--^ ._ ~ _ Hoy-v one r~~ozher Learned up v~/iin ci~y ofiiicials to beat cabin fevi?r. By L iz Ros~z berg --_-~-.~.s _ --~-~- --~-.-- - -- - - -,- `` ~ ~: ' _, / ~ __~ ` f v - -2 ~ i~ ` -, -'- .y~ C ~ ~- t ~ --4 _ - y ~ ~ ~ c' ~ 1 - Dui ~ i ~ ~~ -~ • ,x~ ~ - l..- .'- - '~ ~ _ A ~ - ~ r? ~ l -'' + f ~ 1. ' ~ s; . - ~~"`""_',~`*~'~~`Tt#,~r t ,~, .-`'`' -~ ~ - ._ - ~ `_- \ f i 3 {.y n~'-,mss' - ~ 1) FP Binghamton childrenn can no~.v draw, read, paint, or tumble in the comfort of a cornrart2d schoolroom. ne winter our son, Eli, was eighteen months old; he was recovering from epiglottitis, a dangerous flu that landed him in the hospital. He needed a few months to regain his strength, and our pediatri- cian suggested we take Eli out of day care temporarily. "I'm not saying you have to ?seep him in a bubble," she said. "He's iiealthv now. But his esr:osure to orher_riids should be lim- ited. Can vou_teep him home?" it was ~.~nuary-the longest, dark- est. coldest month of the near-in Bin~hamron. ~?ew `iorlc. I wasn t teaching that semester; ti:eoretically, at least, it was Doing to be my time to write. And here we were. Eii and I spent those first few wee':cs playing peeltaboo and empry-- the-coins-onto-the-bed. We moved on to dancing and to reading stories. tome afternoons, he would watch me type. After a month, we had seri- ous cabin fever, and nowhere to go. I remembered long summer days spent in the parks, where Eli was happy to be near other children play- ing-happy just to hear their voices, And I was glad to see other adults, new r"aces, even the trees. W:.s I the only mother incapable of entertain- ing herself and her toddler? Did I have the or~iv toddler incapable of entertaiair_g himself and his mother? We went to the mall. It eras packed with women and kids in stroll- ers. For tl'~e fast time, it occurred to me that the problem might be wide- s~read. ~t-lint we all needed was a pla: ground-indoors. S~ri;tgbng 6rit~ az~6on. I called the mayor's office. "Do you happen to have anything like an irdoor playground?" I asked. I was lucltiy. The woman who answered the phone didn't laugh when I e1- w plained to her why I was calling. "That sounds nice," she said. "I Z don't think we have anything like it, x 95