Sarah and Barney
Sarah was turning two and I had quite the party planned for her. I had made arrangements to have ‘Barney’ show up. She made a few friends in the neighborhood and our family had quite an assortment of small children who probably loved Barney as much as Sarah. It was a beautiful day and everybody showed up for a barbeque. We invited family, friends and neighbors. It was quite a large party. About an hour into the party we heard the familiar Yankee Doodle/Barney theme song coming from the front yard. Confusion set in among the kids. Then he showed up, Barney came marching into the backyard trailed by his helper with a boom box. About twenty kids ran screaming to their parents, even some of the older kids. Kids were crying and screaming, terrified out of their minds. Barney stood alone; still dancing, apparently expecting this.
I was so surprised at the pandemonium but extremely amused at the sight. You can hear one of Mike’s nieces screaming in the videotape, ‘I hate Barney, I hate Barney’. Eventually Sarah broke the ice and tentatively ventured toward the giant purple dinosaur. The other kids found their courage also and started coming forward, most of them accompanied by their parents. In the end parents and kids alike were marching around the backyard with Barney in the lead. It all worked out in the end but if I learned one lesson it would be, don’t invite a giant purple dinosaur to a two-year-old’s birthday party.