I loved the fair as a kid. I went on every ride allowed, checked out every booth, and usually snuck in to see the music acts. I even saw Helen Reddy sing one year.

I've been planning on taking the kids to the fair, and since last weekend was the last of the fair, it was either now or never. Saturday was rainy. Which I thought would be good for cutting down the crowds.

Around 11:00 I told the guys to get ready. They grumbled.

So for the next four hours, I threatened, cajoled, bribed, yelled, counted, and stormed out. It's amazing how stubborn 2 children who don't want to go to the fair can be.

We finally got to the fair around 3:30. The lines were pretty short, but it was cold and rainy. I wanted to check out the collections, but all the kids wanted was stuff: toys, candy, junk food.

The exotic animal barn was awesome. We wondered if the camel's fur was soft or coarse. I had to ask what the Texas longhorns were bred for. I didn't get a vegetarian answer.

The hand washing test booth was probably not a good idea for OCD kids. Max already spends too much time washing his hands. The clerk put lotion on the kids hands and then they washed. Then they looked at their hands in the black light. The places where they didn't wash enough glowed. Both kids scrubbed their hands in the sink at least twice.

We had curley fries and chicken sandwiches at a vendor who's been doing the fair for about a hundred years. I wonder what kids ate way back when.

My daughter got a text message from a friend who was at the Zipper. It was good timing because Maxfield was starting to whine. So Jade took off with her friends, as Max and I started home.

On the way home I couldn't help but wonder why all the fuss? Why do the kids fight so much about going out? Is it really that bad?