Something's Fishy

Ever give a child a present and find that they're more enthralled with the packaging than the product? This was the reaction we got from the kids when we took them to the Ocean Institute in Dana Point this weekend.

I mean, could Finn look any more non-plussed? Swirling tanks of silvery fish? This white chain-link guard rope is much cooler. Baby sharks? I'd really rather go outside and climb on the rocks some more, if you want to know the truth. Jellyfish slowly spinning in a hypnotic orbit? Can't I just chew on my sock here in peace?

So John and I got to be the giddy, awe-struck, look-at-that! kids for the afternoon, marveling at the leopard sharks, sea stars, and IMAX footage of life in the deep, while the kids glanced furtively at their watches and tapped their feet, wondering just when their parents would be done with all this kids' stuff, already.