While the boys are being boys by running in circles, laughing hysterically and occasionally stopping in their tracks to watch their daily dose of cartoons, mom looks on with a smile. Even as the wilder boy, 9 year-old Liam, wields a boomerang seemingly out of nowhere, mom giggles.
It’s fun having boys. As crazy as it can be, it’s fun, according to Johnna Dow, the mother of 11 year-old Bugsy and 9 year-old Liam.
“It’s important to spend time with the boys,” Dow said. “They grow too fast!”
Saturday, May 14, offers a chance for moms across South Whidbey and beyond to spend time with their sons. South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District is hosting a new “mother and son” event from noon to 2 p.m. at the Blue Fox drive-in in Oak Harbor. The event is a twist on the district’s popular Daddy and Daughter Ball that is held annually.
A ticket to the mother and son event offers two go-kart rides, 25 game tokens for arcade games, a mini pizza for lunch and a small drink per person. Go-kart drivers must be at least 56 inches tall in order to drive themselves, but children under 56 inches can ride with an adult as long as they are over the age of two. The event is open to participants of all ages.
According to Program Coordinator Carrie Monforte, the event is not exclusive to mothers and sons. Applicable guardians and other family members are welcome to attend.
Tickets cost $19 per person, and must be purchased in advance.
For Dow, the mother and son event offers an opportunity to go out with the boys. It’s different when she plans family fun time, she says, since it comes off as more of a mandatory activity to the boys.
“This is just a great opportunity for me to be able to spend time with them that isn’t necessarily initiated by me,” Dow said. “You know how boys are, they can be a handful!”
Although the anticipated aspects of the event vary from son to mom — for her sons the arcade games and speeding around in go-karts are the highlight — for Dow it’s simply being with the children. It’s a chance to build stronger relationships, Dow said.
“There are so many things that make the bond between moms and sons so strong,” Dow said. “They’re my everything. They are fun, a little crazy and sweet boys. With boys you’re almost assured to get sports and lots of laughs.”
According to Monforte, a multitude of requests for a mother and son event have been made in reaction to the popular Daddy and Daughter Ball.
“It’s hard to say how many times I’ve been asked about a mother and son event,” Monforte said. “It was a frequent question of the years.”
Monforte reached out to the community with event ideas with a list of potential events, including an Aquasox game, a carnival and game night and a mother and son dance. The go-kart and arcade game night was the “clear winner.”
For future events, which the district is anticipating hosting down the road, it is undecided if they will stick with the go-kart and arcade night or entertain the other listed options.
“I absolutely love that Parks and Recreation is doing this,” Dow said. “I am so glad that Carrie (Monforte) reached out about this and threw out some ideas. She is absolutely fabulous for initiating this and getting us involved.”
Although there is still time to see them grow, Dow says time seems to be running out as her boys grow older. She is cherishing every opportunity to spend time with them, even if the wild one is wielding a boomerang.
