Kennedy Space Center: A View From My Teenage Years

I for one am glad my parents never gave up on me. They continued to expose me to new things despite my apathy, teen angst and surly behavior. When I mock yawned as my dad began reading The Hobbit to me, when I laughed at their collection of Sting music videos (that I would later learn was actually STTNG – Star Trek: The Next Generation), or when I grumbled my way around the Kennedy Space Center as an 11-year-old.

My dad will now admit that my disinterest may have had more to do with the 48-hour-old sunburn I was suffering from, a result of our first time in the Florida sun and a water park. Nevertheless when I look back at that day I regret the things I didn’t appreciate. I walked on historical walkways, I visited monuments, I ate astronaut ice-cream, I saw launch sites, all with a frown on my face. I got to experience things that my husband still hasn’t seen, but dreamed about as young boy. I may not have enjoyed it at the time, but in retrospect I can say, “Wow! I was there.”

I remember my parent’s enthusiasm every time we would visit Florida and a shuttle launch was scheduled, and their subsequent disappointment when it was delayed. Through their eagerness and awe I was instilled with the magnitude of what was being accomplished. It’s a place I would love to visit again with my family, hopefully our enthusiasm will rub off on Toby sooner than my parents’ did on me.