Remember to Soar

 A large motivation for our move was to give our kids the freedom to run, play, and have a care free childhood.  It has been an amazing experience so far and I think we have achieved it.  Yesterday, I realized the full weight of emotion that comes with the perceived compromise of this childhood freedom.  Sidney's school will soon be separating girls and boys to have the much anticipated discussion on puberty.  Though we have touched on some of it, I sat down with Sid to prepare her for the rest.  I was met with a pained unwillingness to hear any of it.  She doesn't want to hear it from me or anyone else yet.  "I'm too young!"  "I don't want to grow up!".  This was not just a half hearted attempt to avoid the conversation, after all she had asked me several months ago to talk to her before the school did.  Needless to say, it was let go for the moment.  Such angst.  Not wanting to grow up, yet struggling with the desire for more independence.

Then during our nightly snuggle, Charles (who was no where around during the above fiasco), said " I don't want to grow up."  I asked him why and he said that "grown ups don't run like crazy or climb trees,  I just want to get a little bigger so I can play some of the games I'm not old enough for and then stop, I always want to run like crazy and climb trees."

I think that it is interesting that both kids in one day had the same feeling.  These young minds, who in the infinite wisdom of youth, sense with the gain of independence there may too come a loss of innocent play.  It led me to wonder...if we adults let go of all of the day to day worry and feelings of responsibility even for a moment like our kids,  who know the freedom of spirit so intimately, maybe we too could soar with them into the clouds of their imaginations.

Though a day late, this is my submission for One Word Wednesday.  Please check out the blog hop for all of the great submissions.