a sprinkler suit
watching those sesame street kids play on their sad playgrounds always puzzled me. as a girl growing up on acres of land in northern california, it just didn't make sense. there had to be some kind of joke that i just wasn't getting, because i didn't believe it.. a couple lousy swings, a handball wall, maybe a sand pit, some sprinklers and a sad set of monkey bars and i was supposed to be convinced that it was real? that anyone would ever do that to a kid; build a playground on blacktop without any kind of grass anywhere? it wasn't real, but if it was, i felt sorry and confused for those kids.
today i watch my children play on those playgrounds. i watch them run on the blacktop and swing on the swings and stomp their feet in frustration at not being able to get the monkey bars right. those kids i pitied are now my own and those sad playgrounds i didn't believe in are theirs. they are theirs and they are amazing. the girls will run and charlie will walk, so slowly and carefully, all over that black rubber matting and asphalt for hours. every season of the year we are there, never noticing or thinking about the missing grass. we run,we draw with chalk, we blow bubbles and swing, slide and chase. but during the summer, while charlie searches for the nearest ball, the girls are concerned with one thing on their lovely little playground; the water. no matter what they are wearing, eve and ruth drench themselves in the geysers that pop up when the weather turns hot. more often than not, on those summer days we spend in brooklyn, the girls walk home, leaving a trail of little puddles behind them.
for those days of sprinkler bliss, a sprinkler suit was made. now that the very last day of our summer vacation is here it seems a little late to be sharing this, something made back in june, but here it is anyway. eve and ruth both balked when i tried to present it as a swim suit. "but it's just a shirt and underwear!" they cried. they were right, and we have used each piece separately as such, but when the two pieces are put together it becomes eve's "sprinkler suit", a term they were both willing to fully embrace (ruth didn't want one for herself unless it had a big hole in the back of it and neither of us were fans of the prototypes i came up with.. next summer). with her sprinkler suit on eve can run and play in the water and dry off in record time and i can watch as she scootches and spins on the ground and throws her little body around without once thinking about how much damage she is doing to her suit or clothes. after all, it is a sprinkler suit, and sprinkler suits are made for summer and all that comes with it on these new york playgrounds we happily call our own.
..
also, this is my favorite sesame street song. ever. there are funnier and cleverer songs, which are awesome, but this was my favorite as a child and is even more so now that the girls request to watch it over and over and charlie rocks along to the beat.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 01:37PM
Reader Comments (40)
That is the cutest thing. I think I must bookmark ever other post you write as inspiration for when I have little ones. I've never lived anywhere with playgrounds like that (though there are some near where my cousins live) but that would have been perfect for afternoons spent jumping through the sprinkler my dad set up on the lawn.
egads! that's aweseome. I need one. for me.
I love that I'm still learning things about my little girl, even after she's all grown up! Good job on the sprinkler suit. Tell Eve she's a great model.... maybe that will help her be happier about it next time. :)
What a great post! I just love the sprinkler suit and 'vintage' Sesame Street clip.
awww I remember that song and I miss my little ones... but I have grands now!!
You are so creative, your blog is inspiring! I recently began sewing and I am in the market to buy a new sewing machine. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks!
i love the fabric choice, reminds me of anne of green gables.
I always had those same thoughts about Sesame Street. Where were those people living? In some other world? The Cosby Show baffled me too.
But I'm glad you get to live it. Your kids will look back with fond memories.
And your sprinkler suit is perfect. Absolutely darling and adorable. Wish I could wear something like that.....sort of.
Thanks for sharing!
Look at that girl fly!
I wish I could wear a sprinkler suit.
I love the sprinkler suit so much. You are so clever!
Christie
http://childhood101.blogspot.com/
Could your creations get any cuter? Please tell me you will be making your patterns available to the masses soon?! Pretty please.
What an awesome idea, a sprinker suit! Perfect! I'm really enjoying your blog! You're a great writer, and have some beautiful kiddies! :)
Utterly cute !!
Oh I totally love this cute little outfit...and all of the outfits I see in your blog...they're sooooo nice :)
I don't know if you're still reading these, but that is my very favorite Sesame Street song ever, too!