And I Thought I Knew Them

Today I took my kids to the Phoenix Art Museum. Why? Well let me explain. In Phoenix--and probably most major cities--we have something called the Culture Pass. You can check out these passes from the city library for free admission to local museums or attractions like the zoo or botanical gardens. It's a fantastic idea; it gives people who wouldn't normally have the opportunity to go to these places the chance to experience them. While we have on occasion taken advantage of the Culture Pass, I try really hard to not take advantage. But it's summer and we're trying to keep busy and stimulate our minds without breaking the bank! So last week I checked the kiosk and apparently a lot of people had the same idea. There was only one pass remainig and it was for the Phoenix Art Museum. I thought, Well it's something to do. Maybe we can have lunch downtown. They'll like that. While Elizabeth does seem to have an appreciation for the finer things, Matthew is rough and tough and normally anything but calm and quiet. Thankfully, my kids could not have surprised me more today. Admittedly, I did my research before going and I did my best to engage them. We started our tour in the contemporary art galleries because I knew it would be unusual and strange and more thought-provoking than, say, the Baroque gallery. They enjoyed looking at mostly everything, they let me know which pieces were "not their favorites" (we had talked about voicing criticism aloud beforehand), and they thought a lot more about the art and had more comments than I expected them to. Without sounding like a commercial for the museum, this was the best experience we've had using the Culture Pass. We've used the passes for the Phoenix Children's Museum and the Arizona Museum for Youth, and this was better! There was so much to see here, so much to do (there's even a children's art studio where they can try different art techniques themselves), and the building itself is art in its own right. It was just an enjoyable day all the way around, and I'm ashamed that I honestly didn't think it was possible. In my defense, they did enjoy lunch and going to the big city, but I'm grateful and proud to say that they got so much more out of the experience.