Wisdom at 5

Nature Club at Nolte State Park

I am a pretty laid back mommy. at least I think so.  I don't hoover over Bear and even let her near water with her friends...  yes I was watching and yes she had her life jacket on, I don't make her stay clean and figure most things wash and those that don't wash well she can change out of and put on "can get messy clothes,"  I let her play in the back yard unsupervised (just peeking and talking to her every little bit) and let her color, paint, and use real kitchen tools (I think this is why she didn't use her own kitchen very much).... 

I never ceases to amaze me though when she discovers another new way to have fun.  Friday we joined our homeschool nature club at a local state park for a nature hike followed by a picnic and then water swimming and play and watching her play and explore, looking for water critters with her face mask on, was 99% of the fun I had. So today, I'm going to share a few things Bear loves doing that I figure aren't worth the battle (let's admit it, we all do it.  We pick the battle we want to fight, and the rest we just ignore).  I don't even try to fight these things.  Its kinda like, is it hurting her, is it hurting anyone else, or is it bad for her? If the answer is no, then I might not worry about it it too much.  Sadly, many are judgmental....  Please don't be.


1. Wearing dress up clothes to Costco.  Seriously, is she covered?  Is she at least fully clothed?  Then what does it matter if she wears a princess dress to buy cheese.  This isn't an every day occurrence, but the couple times she has, it just hasn't seemed worth the battle.
2. Sleeping on the couch.  Yep she sometimes falls asleep on he couch and I let her do it.
3. Mud baths.  Three of them this week.  Yep, THREE.  She loves playing in mud and water.  When she is done, after much head shaking from me, she is easily washed.  I don't say much except, "what ya doing?"  To which she generally replies, "Taking a mud bath."  Matter fact. 
4. Picking flowers.  When the flowers are blooming, Bear will pick them every day.  I have been given many flower bouquets from her tiny hands.  I hold those "here you go mommy, happy mother's day" words close to my heart.  To Bear Mother's day is when you tell your mommy you love her, so I get told happy mother's day often.  I gave up telling her its only one day, she doesn't seem to think it should be limited.  *grin*
5. Making kites out of paper and attaching yarn for string.  Just today she did this and ran through the back yard trying to get a  colorful triangle sheet to fly.  I give her the tools and supplies and she provides the rest.  Tonight she made up her own map of the solar system in fact.  Where she learns things is beyond me.  Her mind is a sponge and it loves soaking up information and knowledge.  Although I mistakenly told her Pluto was a planet.....  it was when I was a kiddo.

I guess the thing to come away with is that we should think outside the box and not worry about what we think others want us to do.  We need to explore with a vengeance and not be afraid of acting on our ideas, and we need to love each other and show our appreciation every day, not just one or two days a year.



No telling what you might find when you look around....
Beauty can lurk in the most uncommon places....