Simplifying Parenthood
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 6:6-7
About 14” of snow is sitting on the ground in our neighborhood. It’s March 15th!
Yesterday, as the snow continued to fall, and the (mostly) men of our neighborhood used snow blowers and shovels to dig out cars and spaces, I looked outside and was so thrilled.
There are several pre-teen and teen boys who live in a two block radius. They play basketball at our neighbor’s a lot. I am grateful for their parents. Sometimes, I look out and there is at least one Dad with them, not frequently, but he makes his presence known often enough that they stick to his rules about language and courtesy to passersby.
In the middle of all that work and all that snow, I looked out the front windows, those boys were having a good old fashioned, snowball fight. Kudos to their parents for pushing them away from the electronics to the cold, wet snow. If the noise is an indicator, they were having a great time.
Out the back windows of our house, a couple of doors up, the elementary aged children were jumping from a tree into the 9” (or so) of snow that accumulated to that point. The truth is that I could not watch this. They were having a blast but I was picturing broken arms or legs. Their Moms are braver than I. These kids will never forget the time they spent jumping off those branches!
Parents, simple pleasures are truly the best. No one was concerned about their kids’ minds being led down a wrong path. No one lost sight of the risks to what they were doing. All those shovelers were teaming up and digging out the widows on the block, setting an example of “loving their neighbors;” they weren’t even conscious of what they were doing for all those kids.
I see days like this one as an investment in friendships. More nature, more outside labor, more outside fun, and more interaction with real friends. These are simple experiences we can give our children that will give them great memories and confidence in their own ability to make friends apart from their electronics.
It is so simple. What child doesn’t need to invest in a few good friendships, not to mention the physical and mental health benefits of a good s