When Z was in Pre-K I went to pick him up one day and instead of bringing him to the door the teacher invited me into the class. She told me there was something I had to see. As followed her to the back of the room wondering what he had gotten into, she said “He built New York city!” Sure enough, there it was, a preschool size replica of the clustered city that never sleeps.

I was impressed, but I wasn’t too surprised. Anyone who has spent much time with Z has probably either heard about his love for New York, or seen one of his drawings/creations.

The Statue of Liberty

One time he told me he wishes he lived in New York so that he could look at the statue all day. I don’t know where this interest comes from other than the fact that the Madagascar animals are from there, along with many super heroes.

My mom, who loves to travel (and does so for free thanks to working for Delta) has been trying to convince me for some time now to let her take Z to NYC. I told her that he was too young. It’s so big, so far, so expensive. I want him to really appreciate the magnitude of an experience like that. But the more Z talked about it and the older he got, I started warming up to the idea. This is the last big chance he has before he starts school and the best time to fly stand by is off season days (when most people are in school or working). Plus he has matured a lot in the past year. I know he is not going to run off in Central Park or have a temper tantrum in time square.

So J and I talked about it and decided to give my mom the green light. Z has no idea that less than a week from now he will be flying to The Big Apple with his Me’me’ and Pe’pe’! We aren’t going to tell him until the last minute either. It’s going to be kind of like this adorable video of the girl who was going to Disney World.

Even though I can’t go with him I have been over the moon with excitement on his behalf. There is nothing like watching your child’s dreams come true, even if they might be too young to understand how lucky they are. This week as part of our homeschooling we went to the library and checked out some materials on New York City. After a week of exploring what the city is all about he is going to be surprised with a ticket to see it for himself. I feel like his early interest in The United States and New York City is instilling in him a sense of patriotism. What better way to foster an appreciation for the land of the free than going to one of our Nation’s most important historic cities? If he gets there and his biggest concern is Nintendo World, that’s fine too.