Vintage Fun

I love the book "Mitten Strings for God" by Katrina Kenison. It's about slowing down, scheduling empty afternoons and creating close, meaningful relationships with our little people. She tells a story of 'the breakfast tree', which was a tree that she and her mom sat in one morning with a breakfast picnic to welcome the day together. " ...we both recall the magic of that morning, how lovely it was. Over the years, I've come to think of the breakfast tree as a symbol of my childhood and of what I loved most about being a child-the kind of casual, daily intimacy with nature that was simply a way of life, a way of life that I took wholly for granted then and for which I am deeply grateful now. I suspect the breakfast tree symbolized something for my mother, too-it was a point of entry into my child's world, a place where a busy mother and a little girl once took in the world's wonders together, in a spirit of shared adventure and discovery."
Lately in these less-scheduled summer days I feel like there's a simplicity (not necessarily ease) to what my kids like to do best with their days- they tend to be happiest when they're given the ability to access discovery, adventure, and a type of magic that comes with all that. It's typically old fashioned fun without the help of technology, and it takes a bit of time, planning and focus on my part, but then again, just like the breakfast tree, I'm a part of the adventure, at least peripherally as I supply the location or the supplies, and the support. It's been having a picnic behind the piano, floating paper boats down a creek, capturing tadpoles, climbing trees, rolling down hills, pumping on a swing, picking up ants... I don't believe there are a shortage of moms who frown upon these things- ants might bite, or the creek could be contaminated, or you can get sap on yourself or slip out of the tree... All of this could be true. But I think most of the time these risks are hugely overblown; I encourage my kids to sample the world, to feel it on their fingers and breathe it into their bodies and experience it all of their own making. It's finding the wonder and beauty of simple things with my kids. I love it!



Summer is the best time to do it too, although if I get creative, there are opportunities inside and outside at any time of year. I love to take advantage of big swaths of parks with trees, hills, or even a creek because the boys could really just spend all day exploring it. When I slow down and do it with them, I can't deny that it's really special for me too.



"Suddenly, I realized, we truly did have something to celebrate: the joy of real togetherness."-Katrina Kenison
ps. I don't think it would be honest to give the impression that I've been feeling as calm and collected as this post may come across- this week has been particularly hairy, but I do like to focus on the calmness I feel when we're climbing trees or rolling down hills...