Hubs and I took the kids and my mom to the river the other day. It's a quiet spot on a weekday, I refuse to go on a weekend or holiday. We took out of town family there last week and couldn't figure out why we haven't go back in years.
Our old house didn't have air conditioning so to beat the 100+ degree days we'd go immerse ourselves in the cold, cold water being released from the bottom of the dam. Then, after lowering my body temp. sufficiently to leave me shivering and a bit blue, we'd come home and I'd be able to sleep until time to get up for my shift at night. We'd taken my DSS there a few times when he was little but slowly we came to stop going. The sad part is, it takes about four minutes to reach it.
Now with 3 kids it's a bit more challenging. It means bringing more equipment then just towels and ourselves. Life jackets are required even though we stay in a part of the river that runs off the main river and is quieter, shallower, and safer, which ends in a down south bayou looking area. We forgot to bring food which lead to melt downs and hurt feelings and the hubs running home for sandwiches.
But it was worth it and the kids want to go back before school starts up again. We had laughing splashing children and laughing splashing adults. It meant stowing away some of the adulthood that the hubs and I are mired in now and enjoying the day and staying in the moment.
That is such a hard concept for adults to do. Just to stay in the moment. Adults have so many tasks that need to be completed, paid, called, returned, gotten. The list never really ends. Children though, children live for that moment, that time without worrying about all the other daily minutia that fill up the lives of an adult. Really how hard is it to live in the moment. Isn't it worth it? Isn't it worth taking the time each day to look and see and be?
I'm going to try to do better are you?
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I like the idea of "storing away adulthood." I think this is necessary sometimes before we can truly embrace our children's childhood. Whenever my older daughter senses I'm angry or frustrated and worries it has to do with her, I often realize I'm thinking about something that needs to be done, or should have been done, or can't be done... or some other grownup concern. Why can't we just store away these thoughts for just minute for our kids???
ReplyDeleteI have found that also Betsy. In my head is something along I haven't gotten the kitchen clean and now she wants to play Barbie's or he wants me to watch a movie!
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