Childhood

I've read a lot of articles about childhood recently.  How the childhood of my generation was so much better than the ones that have come after.  How we are ruining our children with technology and inactivity.  How we need to stimulate our children with all sorts of different activities and that you can never do too much for them.  And, how danger lurks around every corner and how you can't let your children out of your sight for a second or someone will take them or someone with call CFS in fear that someone will take them.  It's exhausting to feel like you are always doing it wrong or that you could be doing things better but that is parenting; for every generation I suspect.

Yesterday I let my children do whatever they wanted in the morning because it was Saturday morning and I remember waking up and having the freedom to decide the fate of my day.  Cian played some video games and Emily coloured and dressed up as a cat.  I sat in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and left them alone.  They came to me when the pancakes were ready, we did a puzzle and then they went back to playing.

I had a brief moment when I thought I should play with them but then instead went for a bath and read my novel. After my bath I thought I would take them to the store but Cian found the summer stuff that Jen and Mike had returned to our house that morning and wanted to play with his newfound toys.  He brought the water table to the back deck and filled it with water.  It was mild outside and the water was not warm but he had a great time playing in the water in the early afternoon, still in his pajamas.  Emily found him, half undressed on her way to her room and she wanted to play in the water too.  They both took off all their clothes to splash each other with the water.  I got them the sidewalk chalk and they drew all over the back deck, asking before trying each new area "Can we write on the BBQ?" "How about the glass door?"  Gleefully they sprayed water, drew with chalk and became cleaning "robots" and spent hours on the deck playing naked covered in chalk.   Truthfully I had a couple moments that I worried people might see my naked children from the street or the lane and express their disapproval and then I realized that I did not care.  I remember playing for hours at randomness and enjoying fresh air and goofing around with nowhere to go.  The idea of going to the store was completely abandoned. Instead I decided to round out an "old school" Saturday and make zweibach like the mothers before me.  As my kids squealed and ran around the deck the "smell of love" was baking in my kitchen.  The kids ran in as the buns were coming out of the oven and I had to shoo away eager fingers from the steaming cooling racks as familiar smells wafted through the house.  Smacking bums up to the bathtub to clean up before snack.

The kids begged for buns before dinner and I fed my "fresh from the bath" children white bread and sweet preserves as they vibrated with delight.  We cleaned up the house getting it ready for their teenage babysitter to arrive.  They had Kraft dinner and sausage for supper and then watched a movie with their babysitter before bed and their parents went out.  They didn't even realize we had left.  Cian had a bit of an upset stomach while we were gone and Keith talked to him on the phone.  He said he was feeling better and went to bed - we did not come home early.  We enjoyed our dinner and show and then Keith drove the sitter home.  I put the remaining zweibach into old bread bags - like my grandmother used to do - before heading to bed.  A great Saturday.

Parenting is hard in any generation I think.  Our generation has access to the internet and every idea imaginable, it can be overwhelming all the things you aren't doing and aren't trying with your children.  That you are somehow denying them every option available because you have enhanced awareness of all these options.  It's paralyzing and I find it often prevents me from enjoying simple things that used to bring me joy and that I want to share with my kids.  The freedom of nothing to do.  The delight of a surprise afternoon activity.  Sunshine...water...fresh air....and homemade traditions baking in the kitchen.  It's a reminder for me to do less and plan less and maybe read less articles on the internet.