Real Life | Making Lemonade If You Love It
So I just stood in line for over an hour trying to get my dear boy into a gymnastics class for which he was really not sure he wanted to be enrolled and it turns out the only time available was 6:00pm and that just sounded like a horrible idea, so #timewasted. Except I was reading Brene's book in line which I've been trying to finish for forever [it's good, but has not exactly sucked me in], so #makinglemonade and #probablyforthebest because the chapter I was reading was extolling parents to sign their kids up for LESS activities. #irony
So here we are. He has exactly zero activities still. Unless you count Cars Fast As Lightening on my phone. #fingerstretch
I really thought it might be just what he needs this time of year -- bouncing on the tramp, learning to do cool tricks, building core strength. But it's not meant to be.
Plan B is to look for a baby guitar and a baby guitar teacher. And to continue our Saturday night rollerskating tradition.
This morning before school, Pete had Christmas carols playing on his upstairs sound system [mixer, microphones, strobe lights, the whole shebang] and he was singing along. Sometimes melody, sometimes harmony, something in-between, but it was awesome. I love that he has interests like this and the bravery to pursue them. May we always do what we love and not apologize for it! #nerdalert #livewholehearted
And if that involves a hammer and nails at Home Depot, more power.
As parents, we give our kids a wide range of things to check out. We encourage them to find things they love. We want them to hone in on their strengths, get better at things, and develop confidence. In re-reading the chapter on creativity in my book today, I found this --
"One of the best gifts that a parent can give their child is time -- completely free and unstructured time to discover and pursue their passions. Children need time to do absolutely nothing, to let their minds wander, to reflect. In doing so, they will often stumble across the things they love the most. And these things will often lead to a lifetime of creativity and authenticity and happiness."
OK, I believe it.....it's true. Unstructured time is good. But sometimes a child needs a little nudge in the right direction. The older one THRIVES with the freedom to be creative. The younger one begs for inspiration, for companionship, for something to DO. So we're nudging these days. Just a little.The gymnastics thing, though, will have to wait.
UPDATE -- I called the office and yipppeeee, they amazingly had a spot open up at just the time we needed! So, YES gymnastics. But not the armadillo. [Sandra Boynton reference :) ]
So here we are. He has exactly zero activities still. Unless you count Cars Fast As Lightening on my phone. #fingerstretch
I really thought it might be just what he needs this time of year -- bouncing on the tramp, learning to do cool tricks, building core strength. But it's not meant to be.
Plan B is to look for a baby guitar and a baby guitar teacher. And to continue our Saturday night rollerskating tradition.
This morning before school, Pete had Christmas carols playing on his upstairs sound system [mixer, microphones, strobe lights, the whole shebang] and he was singing along. Sometimes melody, sometimes harmony, something in-between, but it was awesome. I love that he has interests like this and the bravery to pursue them. May we always do what we love and not apologize for it! #nerdalert #livewholehearted
And if that involves a hammer and nails at Home Depot, more power.
As parents, we give our kids a wide range of things to check out. We encourage them to find things they love. We want them to hone in on their strengths, get better at things, and develop confidence. In re-reading the chapter on creativity in my book today, I found this --
"One of the best gifts that a parent can give their child is time -- completely free and unstructured time to discover and pursue their passions. Children need time to do absolutely nothing, to let their minds wander, to reflect. In doing so, they will often stumble across the things they love the most. And these things will often lead to a lifetime of creativity and authenticity and happiness."
OK, I believe it.....it's true. Unstructured time is good. But sometimes a child needs a little nudge in the right direction. The older one THRIVES with the freedom to be creative. The younger one begs for inspiration, for companionship, for something to DO. So we're nudging these days. Just a little.
UPDATE -- I called the office and yipppeeee, they amazingly had a spot open up at just the time we needed! So, YES gymnastics. But not the armadillo. [Sandra Boynton reference :) ]