I am shocked at the inundation of choices for a 5 year old to keep busy during summer vacation.
Seriously...he's 5!
We have options like: Zoo camp, t-ball, swimming lessons, soccer/baseball/all sports camps, Vacation Bible School at several churches, Preschool is having 3 weeks of "camp" and the list goes on and on.
When is a kid supposed to just PLAY!!?? I have been really blessed with a little boy who prefers to stay home. He loves to play and just be home with mom. I tend to think it's because I'm just so amazing...but in all reality I think he just likes to have the time to imagine and play without all the outside "noise".
We, as parents, have been trying to decipher what the right balance of activities is for Caleb this summer. I'm trying to find things that the boys can do together. For instance, they will be taking swimming lessons at the same time and Caleb is going to attend 1 week of zoo camp with his friend Austin. This is so exciting to him b/c the love and appreciation he has for animals is beyond amazing.
I'm thinking this is only the beginning. No wonder kids are stressed at the age of 8. I'm going to keep praying that Caleb likes to stay home and is thrilled by the few activities we agree upon together. I pray that his contentment to just "be" remains for at least a few more years....
So much to learn...I wish we could be granted the wisdom of Solomon for these years of parenting.
3 comments:
I hear ya! I can totally relate, but Macy asks me every day, "what are we doing today Mom?" or "Where are we going today?"
Balance...you are right...
I savor your thinking!
You are obviously a thoughtful mom. Learning to be content and creative are skills worth building. So are participating in activities that are structured.
All of my mostly adult 'kids' grew up in the launch of the 'structure all available time' era. Partly because I was oblivious to that agenda at the start and partly by choice as I became more aware, they had lots of at home/creative time.
I am big on costumes, magnifying glasses, binoculars, reams of blank paper, homemeade play dough, blank books and objects that can be transfomed and used in multitudes of ways (empty boxes, sheets and lawn chairs make great fort building).
My kids asked to have the 'in' toys. They often did not get them. That made them more fun to play with at friends' homes. Likewise, the opportunity to be creative at our home.
A healthy balance of socially structured activites helped build those friendships for them AND for myself.
Teaching our kids to enjoy life in many ways, provides them with the skills to know how to spend their time in middle and high school . . . and college. They learn to recognize their own personal comfort level/balance of activities and have less need to have it imposed on them.
Our oldest is a introvert, who would never leave the house (sorta like his mom). We "make" him do one activity a season (a weekly sport), simply for the social aspect. Otherwise he is perfectly content to be by himself reading or outside on his scooter. He has friends, but just prefers to be alone (but not in a psycho-way). Some kids are totally overwhelmed with too much...
Our younger son would start twitching if he had to be alone. He is a social critter who thrives on other people and their energy. The kid can do 2 hours of football practice in the heat of summer after being at camp all day, and come home and play outside for 3 more hours without taking a break.
It's all about figuring out where they get their energy from.
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