Don’t Try This At Home

Dear Jenny,

"There goes Sam.."

As a parent, there are a certain set of unspoken rules that go along with the job.  You are required to feed your children, clothe them, provide a roof over their heads, love them , and protect them.  In most instances the protection code doesn’t have anything to do with a stranger or a dog, or the elements, but mostly it has to do with protecting them from themselves.. or not.

Sometimes we allow our children to do things that might not always be the safest thing, because they are having fun.  We hear them laugh, hear them giggle, and it’s not so easy to just say “no” and become the spoiler.   We know that there is a high probability that someone is going to get hurt, yet we still let them go. 

That was my situation last night before dinner.  Tyler thought it would be great fun to swing the baby, Sam, around in a circle really fast.  I was in the kitchen making dinner and didn’t really know what was going on, all I heard was an enormous wave of laughter coming from all 3 kids.  So I went into the dining room, and there went Sam, flying through the air, up and down.  All I could see was a streak and there was giggling from three happy kids .  I must say, it was pretty cute.  But at the same time I was thinking, ooh, somebody is definitely going to get hurt with this one. I was seeing visions of a head hitting the wall or a leg getting the table.  So you know what I did?  I got the camera out.  They were having so much fun, I was laughing too.  I just didn’t have it in me to spoil their good fun.

As I was watching this whole escapade unfold, I couldn’t help but think how lucky children are to be able to think of the fun first, the risks later.  When my kids started that game, they had no idea what all the bad consequences could be.  I on the other hand, took one look at it and immediately thought of all the “what if’s”.  To the point where I could have ended all the fun.  That is not to say that there are some things that are just downright stupid to let your children do.  Probably not a good idea to let them bring something electrical into the bathtub, or let them jump from the 2nd story window into a kiddie pool–no, I don’t think so.  But in many situations, as a parent, you just have to look the other way, and let them go have fun, or join in with them.  Let them figure out the risks and rewards.  Kids are pretty smart when we give them a chance.

Luckily, last night was not our night to go to the emergency room because of the “fun” that we were having.  All ended well, and surprisingly there were no fights or arguments in the “fun” process either.  As parents, sometimes we can take our job too seriously.  Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously too.  There are so many things to enjoy in life, why not go and do them.  Take a lesson from the kids, go put yourself out there and think fun first, risk later. 

On another note, Jenny, I know that you are really busy with your foundation and it hasn’t been so easy to write lately.  So I have decided that I am going to start my own blog sometime in the next week.  We will still have The Amani Tree for corresponding when you are in Africa, which will be sometime this summer.  I just think that it is time for me to go out on my own.  I will post and let you know what my new blog address is and what you can expect.  I do love hearing from you, but understand your time constraints with your busy schedule.  Take care.

With Love,

Kate

Advertisement