The Gift of Flight

Have you ever had one of those conversations that came at you out of nowhere?  Over the weekend I did and it got me thinking, reminiscing really, about growing up and all of those things that shaped me as a person.  What I remember:

I remember family dinners around the kitchen table, every night.  

*

Playing ball with my dad, brother, and the neighbor kids in the street.  

*

Going to dance lessons with my mom, the adult class, every Tuesday night followed by Arby's.

*

Long walks to the ice cream parlor, late on a summer night when it was too hot to sleep.

*

Family vacations and holidays.

*

Going to the pumpkin patch and playing hide and seek at the Christmas tree lot.

*

Shopping with my mom (before the dreaded teen angst years), and loving every minute of it.

*

Long hours spent with my mom drilling multiplication tables and thinking I'd never get it (I did).

*

Hours volunteering with my mom and late nights slap happy laughing.

*

Always hugs and I love you's.

These few things, among many, shaped who I would eventually be and reflect what is important to me. As the parent of two amazing, intelligent young children, my upbringing (as well as B's, who also comes from a strong sense of family), shape how important we view family.  We make sure that the kids know how very paramount family is, all family.  In our want to give them as carefree an experience as possible in what are sometimes, less than carefree times, we have created a life emulating those simpler things that we feel best bring us back to our childhoods. Times when free play, open space (I so remember the forts we would build on the vacant, tree shaded lots), running home to dinner in the evening, rosy cheeked and dirty, and most of all family, were pivotal to childhood.  The twenty-four hour news cycle, and volatile antics are merely distractions, and unfortunately sometimes profound ones, from those, most important life lessons that shaped my growing up years.  I hope that all of the efforts we go to, to teach our children about life, the importance of family and how to be open minded, and conscientious people will give them the foundation to make their own informed decisions and give them the wings to fly.  

What a beautiful gift I was given, flight.  Thanks mom & dad! 

This is my contribution to Jill's May challenge~ Childhood

It's not too late, there's a few days left to join in!!

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.