When I was five or six I really liked playing pinball. There was a pinball machine at the local laundromat and I loved to play on that machine every time we went. I don’t know if I was any good, but I enjoyed watching the balls zip around. I loved how lights flashed and music played when certain things happened. Even now when I see a pinball machine my mind goes back to how much fun I had playing pinball at the laundromat.
The reason I was at the laundromat was because our washing machine at home was broken. I’m sure this was a stressful time for my parents. As an adult, I understand what a hassle it is to take clothes to a laundromat – especially when you are used to the convenience of washing clothes at home. But in my little kid mind those trips to the laundromat were some of the most exciting things I’d ever done because I could play pinball there.
I keep thinking about that pinball machine as I hear news of school closures due to the Corona Virus Pandemic. Parents are scrambling to find helpful tools for keeping their children engaged while they are home. My social media feed is full of schedule suggestions and lists of websites with educational themes. We are all rightly concerned about making sure our children handle this event well.
But I think we are forgetting about the pinball machines. I’m not saying we should all take our kids to play pinball. (In fact, touching a pinball machine is probably high on the list of things NOT to do right now.) But I am saying that we should remember that our children will enjoy some of the new experiences that occur during this unpredictable time. And the best experiences might be the ones we don’t plan.
I’m pretty certain my mom didn’t pick our laundromat because it had a pinball machine. There just happened to be one there, and once I discovered it I begged to go with her every time she needed to do laundry. I was actually sad when we had the washing machine fixed.
Today I called up my mom and asked her if she remembered that pinball machine. She didn’t. She didn’t even remember that the washing machine broke or that we had to go to the laundromat for a few weeks. To her it was a hassle that was forgotten after the problem was solved. But I’ll never forget that pinball machine.
