Is someone in our house slightly obsessed with gladiators?! Well yes, in fact, someone is! Does everyone in the world secretly wish they could be a fearless, invincible warrior? Or at least a movie star, who plays one?
Pshyea!
Once arriving in Rome, we set our sights on all things gladiator! First up: Gladiator School! Gotta know what you’re doing, right?! Joe and T1 headed off for their big training day while the littles and I enjoyed some playground time amidst the ruins of the Trajan Baths. Only in Rome, right?!
The gladiators-in-training started with an armor fitting, then some skill work! They were taught four attack maneuvers, along with corresponding defense tactics.
Next, was a few rounds through the obstacle course as a warm-up.
And finally, THREE rounds of battle!! Gladiators received a point each time they demonstrated a skill correctly and appropriately during battle. The first warrior to reach five points was declared the winner! T1:2, Dad:1
Now that we had two officially-trained gladiators, it was time to hit the Colosseum!
We scheduled a kid-focused tour of the icon, which worked perfect for my attention span too! And leave it to our little lady to ask for the flag and declare herself the leader before we even hit the top deck!
It was really nice to find a quiet spot and look out over the Coliseum, trying to help the kids imagine what it used to be like and talk about all the new facts we learned! T2 was busy finding and pointing out all kinds of wildlife amongst the ruins (cats!), which was such a charming reminder of how little she really is. Even when she acts (and looks) so grown!
We wrapped up the experience with a trip to Circus Maximus. Let everyone have a good run on their fastest make-believe chariots!
I kept saying to T1, “Isn’t this so cool?!” “Can you believe you’re really here?!” I was erroneously hoping my sweet, silent guy would effuse with elation. Parentally, I wanted reassurance that this journey was worth all the effort. Instead, I settled for smiles and head nods. But I knew he was feeling something when he said, “Can you take my picture here?”
And then I was asked: “Can you send those pictures to my teacher so I can talk about this for next Show & Tell?” I smiled and nodded and knew he was proud, in his own way, to walk in the footsteps of gladiators. Of course I can, buddy. Of course I can.
Use Your Accent 