If you are a fan or a follower of Peekaboo Beans, you know that I am passionate about the "Power of Play". As many of you know, I have two Beans of my own and I love to watch them explore the world, learn and grow. My journey to motherhood was long and challenging, and it gave me even more perspective on the blessing that I have in my life.
I want my children to be children, to have a childhood, to not feel the pressures and stresses of a fast paced world at such a young age. There is enough time later in life to experience this.
I parent in moderation. Candy in moderation, Technology and TV in moderation, I believe a healthy balance - not all or nothing.
So tonite as I was getting Cailin's homework organized and packed up, I flipped through the pages of her work as every parent does, taking in all her ideas, artistic creations and school work.
In the pile, was a book I bought for her while travelling recently to Banff. It was sweet note book that I thought would be great for road trips, or travelling - with a nice pack of pencil crayons in a neat tin box (I am a office supplies geek). It posed questions, like draw your family, draw your best vacation, draw your best friend.
I enjoyed seeing all her crafty pictures and smiled with that sense of motherly pride. I turned the next page to see the picture posted here. "Draw your favorite toy". She answered in picture - "I Heart IPAD".
Insert Mother "GASP".
And then my fears of how our world is changing, and how play is becoming a lost art, validated itself right before my eyes.
Obviously that was the first thing that came to her mind, when posed with the question. With ALL the lovely toys, dolls, puzzles, games and simple treasures she has - this is what she answered.
I remember my parents said to me, "come home when the street lights come on" and I long for that for my children. Yet we fear the saftey of our neighbourhoods and question our insticts of letting them go into the world and to fall down and get back up, and we become the "helicopter parent" - a buzz word for their day and age.
Yet they need to play and fall in order to grow.
So I ask you this - do the same things scare you?
1 comment:
It is such a careful balance, trying to protect our children but at the same time encouraging them to take risks through play. I think the best thing we can do for them is to model the kinds of behaviours we want to see. We want them to play outside, we need to show them!
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