Instant Gratification

Life is full of things you work for--no paycheck without doing your job, no A+ without doing your homework, no delicious meal without doing the grocery shopping and cooking to create it.
 
But what if you want NOT to work, just to enjoy? There is no better place to go than an amusement park, where other people have done the work for you, all, it seems, so that you can enjoy a day of instant gratification. Right?
 
So, what exactly does instant gratification (in an amusement park, that is) give you?
 
1. The ability to drive vehicles your parents would never otherwise let you--that is, if you are willing to wait on line with hundreds of other kids who want to do the same thing.
 
2. The opportunity to have your insides turned inside out on a ride--that is, if you can convince one of your parents or siblings to do it with you.
 
3. The chance to go home with the very coolest souvenir that can only be gotten (or so you think) at the amusement park--that is, if it fits your parents idea of what you need and what they can afford and what everyone can carry.
 
4. The option of running around in a much more open space than you ever have at home--that is, as long as you stay close enough to keep your parents happy and go slow enough to keep the park workers happy.
 
The bottom line is, while you may not have to work or study or shop or cook every day to enjoy the things you like, there are always trade offs--conditions that make instant gratification well, not quite so instant. And, while these trade offs might not be so attractive to a kid, they are our reminder as adults that the best things in life sometimes take a little work, even if that "work" is just waiting our turn or making a choice. The kinds of work that, in the scheme of things, are not much work at all.