Mud Puddles!

As a family we try to savour the summer and fall before the long winter comes. These pictures remind me of the simplicity of childhood and the wonder children have in our daily environment. On a warm September day we went to the park to throw a ball and frisbee around, but after the frisbee landed in the huge puddle on the baseball diamond we had to go get it, so off came the shoes and socks and into the squishy mud it was for us. Instead of playing ball or frisbee we bare-foot-puddle-jumped and played in the grass for the rest of our time at the park. The essence of making family memories and having good old spontaneous fun is what I like to call the delicate balance of parenthood and childhood. When we forget to be like children ourselves moments can be missed, opportunities disappear and life gets away from us. We live in a world that is complicated. We are surrounded by negativity in the media daily, bombarded by the everyday responsibilities of just being grown-up. Children just need us to be near them, to love them and to encourage them to be free to explore. When we do this for them I think we learn new things about ourselves. We become better for our children by allowing ourselves to watch and learn from them instead of managing and dictating what we think should be done. Of course children still need us to set some reasonable boundaries and limits, but you can still have fun and protect your children at the same time. So, I say splash in the mud puddles once in awhile, walk bare-foot in the grass and enjoy your children as they are: simple, joyful and curious. Life is too short for anything less.