May 2009

My three year old loves playing on the Wii. I realized it might be excessive when we were running outside and my son said, “Mommy, we are running just like on the Wii!” My son loves the running game on Wii Fit because he gets to run with a dog. His other favorite games are bowling and tennis. This morning we woke up to a cold, frosty morning and Evan decided he wanted to play some Wii. We were playing bowling on Wii Sports when it occurred to my husband and I that Evan might want to try bowling at a real bowling alley “just like on the Wii.”

We headed to Mountainview Bowling. I don’t remember the last time I went bowling but I had visions in my head of people drinking beer in a smoky atmosphere. (This goes to show how many decades ago I last went bowling). I was a little unsure if this would be an appropriate environment for a small child. I called ahead and Mountainview bowling assured me they are set up for small children and the lanes had bumpers. (Whatever that meant).

We showed up to the bowling alley and to my delight the place was packed with families with kids including toddlers. We had a bit of a wait because it was so busy. They had plenty of seating, a concession with snacks and drinks and very cool 50’s decor. When we had our turn I learned what bumpers were. I swear these must be new because I could have used these when I used to go bowling as a kid. They are rubber edges along the sides of the bowling lanes so your child never gets a gutter ball. They always hit a pin on their first try. It was great! Evan struck the most hysterical poses after he launched a ball and held them as he waited until they hit the pins. He also would wait until the ball made its way back up with the rest of the balls. His favorite colour is green so he would wait until the green ball came back. My husband and I were pretty rusty and although my husband is a mean player on Wii bowling, bowling in real life is a completely different story. I am ashamed to say it but for the first half of the game, our three year old was beating us. We finally pulled ahead and we were all within one or two points of each other.

Mountainview Bowling is located in the SW in the Glamorgan Shopping area. If you go to their website they have a $5.00 off coupon. I have to say that family bowling will definitely be added to our rainy day repertoire.

-Melissa