Embracing the messy, mundane & momentous
Caught it!
It never ceases to amaze me how little kids need to be happy. They find entertainment climbing trees, picking up millipedes and going on nature trails. Most of us are guilty of having far more toys and gadgets than our children need. More often, it’s the simplest things that amuse them the most. Of course, a childhood is not all chasing butterflies and making daisy chains, but isn’t it lovely when it is this pure and uncomplicated….
Sun. Salt. Sand.
As a child I loved telling stories, and I still do as an adult. This blog is just one way I share stories. I like to create, collect and celebrate family moments. I gather these memories up and I enjoy chronicling their lives through words and images. It is partly for me, so I can hold onto their childhood, but it is for their benefit, too. Of course, I try to do this in a way that enables me to enjoy being in the moment with them. There’s a juggling act to capturing the special moments in life, and actually being present for them.
When you’re a parent, each time your child reaches a new milestone is exciting and naturally you want to capture these precious moments. We can’t commit every detail to memory, so our natural response is to record it. Photos, videos and letters form a little “time capsule” of our lives. Imprinting a childhood with these ‘souvenirs’ is a lovely gift to pass on. Children will forever treasure memories if they are preserved….
My little artist
We gave Miss A a tabletop art easel for Christmas. She loves drawing and painting and has shown quite an artistic inclination and talent from a young age. I love watching her create something from a blank canvas. Unlike her younger siblings, she can sit and focus on one task for a long time. After breakfast she goes straight to the craft tubs and begins drawing. After drawing, she then begins crafting (is that a word?). She will happily build, make and create all day long. She produces about a dozen works of art a day. In fact, we are drowning in her artistic creations, but I can’t bear to discard many.
I love her curiosity, care and quiet patience. I love watching her work; weaving her own narrative around a blob of paint, mosaic or glitter glue. I love her persistence and precision. Most of all I just love watching her eyes as she creates, quietly focussed and determined, blazing with imagination and wonder….
Embracing simplicity
Turbulent. Challenging. Exasperating. Exhausting. Welcome to the preschool years: a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. Where reason and logic fails and mystery and confusion prevails. The early years of parenting can be particularly challenging. I should know – I am parenting three preschoolers concurrently!
These emotionally charged years, while exhausting and confusing, are unique years as a parent. While these years can be tiring, vexing and grueling, little kids imbue most days with magic and possibility. Parenting young children is defined by extremes:…
Child’s play
We all want our kids to be healthy, strong, kind and capable. Mostly, though, we want them to be happy. And yet in our quest to raise happy children we often overlook the simplest ingredients of a happy childhood. So, what makes kids happy? It’s not the latest gadget or digital device. It doesn’t cost money and it can’t be downloaded. It is pure and it is instinctive. Happiness is found in play.
Here is a list of 15 innate things that, all the world over, kids enjoy….