Send in the Clowns

As a young child, I was terrified of clowns. I can't say if it was the make-up, the clothes, or the over the top antics, but I was terrified of them. Apparently my mother thought this fear was best addressed with "exposure therapy" and had a clown come to my fifth birthday party. So there I was in my pleated skirt, crisp shirt, bobby socks and piggy tails in the middle of the living room staring down a clown that wanted me to reach up her sleeve for a prize. The reasons I remember so little of my childhood are suddenly becoming very clear.

Now, as the mother of my own 5 year old daughter, I believed her clown fear would be best resolved at the "clown college" of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus. The first exposure exercise was with a clown that hardly qualified as a clown. He was in a sequence Phoenix Suns jersey, giant shoes, and minimal make up. Still, it did not go well. He was passing out clown noses for the kids. Never one to turn down the possibility of free treats, Hollywood quickly outstretched his arm to receive the prize. Next one was tossed to Curly. The toss to her was not met with quite the zeal and the packaged nose ended up right in the hands of the wee one. Our first exposure therapy failed.

We then moved on to the stilt walkers, acrobats, magicians, and more clowns caught in precarious positions. There was even a painting elephant. The more they saw, the more enthralled they became. Gradual exposure from a safe distance with 200 other kids paid off and we gradually made our way to our seats for the real show to begin.

When they asked for volunteers, I respectfully declined...
Can you imagine the nightmare that would be?

Long gone are the days of the three ring acts, it is more of an assault on the senses these days. Each time I looked over at the kids, I thought I would have to wipe drool from their gaping mouths. There was magic, clowns, acrobats on ribbons, swings, and wheels. There were zebras, horses, elephants, tigers, and even dogs. There was music, smoke, lights, and lots of color. Of course no show would be complete without cotton candy. Although it's been years since I went to the circus, and my distant days of working with the PETA crew had me a bit on edge with the animal trainer, I would be lying if I didn't admit it truly is "the greatest show on earth."