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side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.

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Who:
Me, my friend Lois, and our kids: Julia (7) and Evan (5), both mine, and Sam (7) and Isaac (nearly 5), hers.

What and Where:
Sesame Place, a water/amusement park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

Why:
Every year, Sesame Place runs a preview day for season ticket holders the evening before the park officially opens for the season.  The park is open only to ticket holders (our friends) and their guests (us!), making this the best day of the year to enjoy the Sesame Park attractions without any crowds.

The High Points:
We didn’t tell our kids what we were planning, so when we showed up at their schools early on a Friday afternoon to whisk them off on an unnamed adventure, they were understandably puzzled.

After confirming that we were not actually taking them to the dentist because they’d neglected to brush their teeth that morning (Sam’s initial fear), their requests for details about our destination slowed considerably.  “You’ll know where you’re going when you see the signs,” we told them.

An hour and 15 minutes later, Isaac was the first to spot a Sesame Place road sign.  Too excited to share the big news, he could only shout “ooh, ooh, I know, I know!” over and over.

The Low Point:
Preview day is a use-it-or-lose-it privilege and we might just have let the excitement of an adventure cloud our judgment just a tad when we decided to make the trip despite the iffy weather.  It was a cold, rainy day in early May and our kids were running around a water park in wet bathing suits.  Not exactly my most responsible parenting moment.

The Kids’ Take:
They thought we were crazy.  They were probably right.  But in the end, the lure of water slides and amusement rides was pretty damn irresistible.  It was cold and it was wet, and their moms seemed to be ignoring the weather and letting them do whatever the heck they wanted.  All four kids were too smart to question this fortuitous turn of events too closely.

The Bottom Line:
This was one of those trips that was made against my better judgment, simply because I really wanted to go.  My kids have great memories to show for my folly, and I have a new cardinal rule of family travel; when life hands you rain, put on a bathing suit and enjoy being wet.