Dolphin Riding

If we all could recognise opportunities like Dolphin-riding I'm sure the world would be a better place.

Astrid noticed that there were inflatable toys stuck away in the pool-cupboard. At first, she wanted the kiddies pool "blown up". When we explained that the only way that the pool could be blown up was with lots of icy water in it, she reluctantly focussed her attention on the inflatable dolphin instead. She asked for it to be inflated. She asked again, and again and again.

Finally, I relented. It was an absent-minded thing, sitting upstairs when she asked yet again. I didn't suddenly understand what use an inflatable dolphin could be in winter, I just relented because pressure from a six-year old is exactly what is it intended to be - relentless. Only one person was going to be doing the relenting, and it wasn't Astri...

Astrid disappeared downstairs. I heard her return before I saw her, a combination of grunts and bare feet sliding on vinyl as she dragged the dolphin, which is taller than I am, upstairs. If the Cheshire Cat ever dragged a blanket upstairs, this is what the cat would have looked like.

I challenged her to blow it up herself, but somehow I ended up lying on the higher landing on the stairs blowing up the dolphin. The lying on the landing was probably to stop myself from falling over while feeling faint - did I mention that the dolphin is taller than I am?

I don't know if blowing the dolphin up lying on the stairs had anything to do with what happened next. I left her alone for a while, and then heard shrieks followed by a thud. And then someone running upstairs again. Shriek, thud, running, repeat.

Our staircase has two turns in it. Unless you are right at the bottom, any piece of the staircase ends in a wall. The wall was the thud. The shrieks were Astrid riding the Dolphin. Not lying down on the dolphin as a sensible person might do. The only way to ride a dolphin down stairs apparently is sitting astride the dolphin, holding onto the handles that would normally stop you from falling off and getting wet. And then crashing into the wall on the landing, a kind of ride-and-airbag all in one.

At first we tried "No! You'll brain yourself!"

Then we tried "Be careful!"

And then we did the most sensible thing, which was packing the wall with couch cushions so that the impact of dolphin and wall, especially if it became dolphin, girl and wall, was minimised.

Since then, it has become a freestyle sport. Riding backwards, lying down upside down, as well as sister-assisted. Sister-assisted involves having your sister ride with you, sitting astride the dolphin, but facing backwards. The reason for this is simply "it makes the dolphin go faster!"

I loved this. Opportunity, creativity and pig-headedness makes for a lot of fun.

Cheers,

Matthew