For lo these many months now I have been having the darndest time with my kids in the afternoon. They just do the darndest things, like the aforementioned fighting, and screeching, and making all sorts of trouble, even when I think I'm pretty much 100% available, ready to give my full attention, ready to play, and still the ungrateful ingrates bring me to my knees afternoon after afternoon after afternoon. And I just have this picture in my head about what slow family living looks like, and that we should be able to just hang out and have fun at home, or chill with friends, or any of these lovely wonderful things that work so well it seems for other people.
Well, I'm rolling over and admitting defeat. Defeat which is actually a victory because I'm just embracing what is instead of chasing after some picture I'm idealizing in my head. And what is for my kids right now is that we gotta get out. We gotta go to some wild space every day after school and just run and climb and get the yaya's out. And I just have to laugh at myself a little because fighting against the flow is definitely NOT what slow family living is all about. And having fun with your kids in a relaxed environment DOES fit in for sure, even if you have to drive to get there.
Synchronistically, of course, over at Slow Family Living right now they're urging folks to get out in nature right now, anyway.
So that's going to be our thing, for awhile, until we hit another cozy plateau and things ease up. Which I believe they will.
So Tuesday we went out to Johnson's which is always a beautiful outing. Jack gets along like peas and honey with 8 year old Lila. They're always riding their bikes out into the fields and coming back with a cantaloupe in the bike basket or bell peppers stuffed into their pockets. Tuesday they spent hours deep in intense absorption as they made ash and mud balls. I took home a very mud-soaked and happy young lad that day.
Wednesday we went to the other Gus Fruh, the entrance of which is in Barton Hills. A fine fine time was had by all.
And really, SLow Family Living is about finding what works best for your family! So way to go Kami. I know for us, outside is easier - especially in the afternoon.
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