Just when I could not remember one good reason to stay living in Los Angeles (traffic, shootings, the other usual clichés), I happened upon LACMA’s NexGen Family Sundays in Hancock Park. The daughter of my ex (V______) and I decided to spend my birthday at LACMA, me figuring the excursion would be the usual me smirking while she rolled her eyes, "Oh, I could do that!" while looking at the minimalist paintings.

However, on our way into the museum, we passed by a series of tents set up behind LACMA. There, V_____ once again signed up for the NexGen program, where, to promote the NEXt GENeration of artists, LACMA gives a card entitling free admission for the child and one adult.

This particular Family Sunday, held from 12:30-3:15 p.m., was titled "Fashion Fit for Kings and Queens." Together, V______ and I made courtly fans, regal paper dolls and decorated Polaroids of ourselves until we turned into nature queens and devils. All the while, V______ asked questions of how it was really done or which actual LACMA exhibit our creative misadventures coincided with. We then visited the actual exhibit – on V_____, of course.

It’s amazing how much pleasure a child can receive by saying, "One ticket for my dad, here." For LACMA to create a program where children bolster their confidence by exposing their parents to art is one good reason to stay living in Los Angeles.

NexGen Family Sundays are held the first three Sundays of each month at LACMA East, Los Angeles Times Central Court, located in the Miracle Mile area between Fairfax Avenue and La Brea Avenue, on Wilshire Boulevard, just east of Ogden Drive. Family Sundays in June will be titled "Architecture Fun!" Hours: 12:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m. Price: Free. For more information, visit artsfornexgen.lacma.org.