Guy Fawkes

As a child, I loved Guy Fawkes.  We lived in a community where all our neighbours were from our church family and we had no fences between our houses.  Every Guy Fawkes, we would all get together, share a BBQ dinner, start a big bonfire that no-one could actually sit around because it was too hot, and let off fireworks that we had all pooled together.  This is back in the day of sky rockets, spinning sirens and buzzy bee fireworks that chased us around the yard.  Us kids had to sit in a zone marked out for us while the adults lit the fireworks. It was so much fun!

As a parent, I'm not such a fan.  When Jaimee was a baby we went to a youth event where the teenagers were firing roman candles at each other and my new 'mummy' nature kicked in...fireworks were suddenly bad.  We took the girls to a fireworks display a couple of years ago and they spent the entire display in tears, terrified of the noise.  Last year we didn't bother going out, but the girls spent the evening crying as they were woken by the loud bangs that sounded much closer then they were.

So when guy fawkes time rolled around this year, we weren't really looking forward to it.  We had a lovely couple over for dinner, and really ignored the whole thing.  Marty warned the girls at bedtime that there might be some loud bangs, and not to worry.  I was not sure if this was a good idea or not!  The girls were already hyped up because of our visitors and sleep was not coming easily - lots of giggles and thumping coming from the bedroom.  When the first fireworks went off, out came the girls in tears.  We explained they were just fireworks and sent them back to bed.  More giggles followed and I went in to give them the mummy talk (GO TO SLEEP!).

Imagine my surprise when I found both girls at their bedroom window, excitedly watching the fireworks from down the road.  "Mummy, look..It's so pretty!".  They were enchanted by them!

So when our visitors departed at 8:45pm, and the girls were still wide awake - I decided to take the moment and create one of those special memories for them.  I told them to get their dressing gowns on and we would go for a drive.  Well, I didn't need to ask them twice!  On went the dressing gowns and they ran to tell daddy "we are going for a drive in our dressing gowns!!"

We jumped into the car and I drove out to Havelock, where I knew there was a big display happening.  I had no idea if I had missed it or not, but hey, it was worth a try.  The girls were so amped, pointing out every firework they saw on the way and chatting at a mile a minute in the backseat.

We were just in time!  With 5 minutes to spare, I parked the car and pulled the girls into the front seat with me to watch (that was a treat in itself).  When the first firework went off, you could feel it in your whole body and it shook the car.  Wow. Kate was especially wide eyed "Mummy...its amazing" she said watching.  Jaimee, always my tentative child, wasn't so sure. "Mummy, i want to go home now".  I convinced her to watch, although neither of them wanted to get out of the car.  They exclaimed over the noise, the colours and the different patterns.  I asked them if they would like to go to the park next year and see the fireworks closer "ok Mummy!"  I am still not convinced they are ready for fireworks up close (and at $35 a ticket, is it worth the risk!?) but we will cross that bridge next year.  It was nice to see them wide eyed and enjoying the show though.

When we got home, they were straight back to bed with strict instructions to go to sleep now!  However, the fireworks in the area were at the busiest by 9.30pm and it wasn't so easy to get two little ones off to sleep with all the racket.  In the end, i put some quiet music on in their room (actually some loudly played quiet music) and they drifted off.

So as a mum i have a love/hate relationship with Guy Fawkes now.

I don't like the danger of them around my house or my children, I don't like the fact they wake my children and keep them awake, I don't like the continuous BANGS that sound like gunfire in my backyard.

However, the wide eyed children in their dressing gowns on a night time adventure with mummy, whispering "Its amazing...so pretty" makes me love them just a wee bit this year.