I don't need you to keep me busy.
I don't need you to cure my boredom.
I need you to throw open the back door and invite me outside.
Into the sunlight or the moonlight or the hazy morning fog.
I don't need more lessons or activities or organized after-school-anything.
I need to wander out in the rain and the snow.
Aimless and dreaming. Exploring.
Where I will see fairies dancing in the mist.
Give me time for games without rules.
Give me space to run barefoot through the dew.
Give me a childhood unburdened so that I may be the person I am meant to be.
I don't need more toys.
Or newer. Or better.
I need less.
Just give me a few wooden planks, your old mixing bowls, and a shovel.
Then let me go without guidance.
To play.
To get dirty.
To live.
I don't need you to plug me in.
Instead I need you to plug into me.
Put down your phone.
Turn it off.
And tune into my childhood.
Dig with me.
Be with me.
Share these fleeting and dreaming days.
Because all that I truly need is you.
And a simple space in which to grow.
Edited: I've added a follow-up to this post. You can find it here.
Beautiful…
love this. thank you for the reminder
Well said!
Holy cats…I just may embroider this and hang it in my house!
What a great post today 🙂 So I’m off to do just what you wrote of today!
Beautiful, today, on Mexico’s mother day.
It’s so great to have a kid that never get bored.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Wow. truly lovely
I love this.
Exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you!
Yes, read this everyone!
Yes!!!! Love, love, love.
Ha! That would be an epic project. (I’ll be more succinct next time.)
Happy Mother’s Day to you!
Beautiful and so very true! Have a wonderful weekend Rachel
Spoken wisely and beautifully… These words reach my heart, that is how I want my kids to experience childhood too.
love this! What a great reminder!
I love this, and totally agree. I’m a grandmother now, but I used to have toys all over the place. I worked hard to get rid of them all…dough boy pool, trampoline, bikes, etc, after my kids left home. Now, my grandkids are here more then any grandmother deserves :). No toys here, but a ton of them across the street. They ALL play here. Sticks, rocks, crafts, the creek,and my time. My motto is that if you want media, “Go Home!”. They never do.
This is a beautiful reminder Rachel. Thank you.
Happy mother’s day and have a lovely weekend.
Beautiful. Wise and lovely. And true.
Thanks 🙂
How beautiful. I feel that way too. This is going on my wall (not in embroidery though I’m afraid!). Thank you!
Mama to mama: I. Love. You.
I loooove this so very much! And I agree with it all!
Ah… Beautiful. 🙂
beautiful! 🙂
Thank you for this!!
Wonderful post, filled with truths! I’m going to print this one out and put it on the fridge. Thanks for the gentle reminders.
What a beautiful post. Lovely reminder for any of us who struggle with wondering whether we’re “doing” enough. Thank you.
The best post I’ve read in a long time. I’ve just referenced your post in my own blog today. I tried to use the trackback link, but it wasn’t working so I used the old school method. Thanks for sharing the beauty of the photos AND the words.
It’s beautiful. But just reminds me where I fail. We live in an apartment, in a bad neighborhood. I can’t send them outside to explore, by themselves.
thank you.
Amen! I’m thankful that my mom let me make plenty of mud pies in the backyard.
What about this then, Sarah… Give me a bin of flour, a spoon, and a watering can. Stick me in the bathtub to let me play, explore, and be. Because to me its more about letting go of our needs to direct and engage than about having the perfect place to do it. Hugs to you, mama. ~ Rachel
What about this then, Sarah… “Give me a bin of flour, a spoon, and a watering can. Stick me in the bathtub to let me play, explore, and be.” Because to me it’s more about letting go of our needs to direct and engage than about having the perfect place to do it. Hugs to you, mama. ~ Rachel
I love this!
Okay, mama. This is for you. Thank you from my heart for your honest comment.
http://lusaorganics.typepad.com/clean/2013/05/rock-your-parenting-wherever-you-are.html
wonderfully put – WOW!
You are lovely. Truly lovely. What a wonderful thing you’ve done here – stepped back, and looked at things from a different perspective, and essentially re-written a post that includes and re-assures each and every parent that might be fortunate enough to read this post. Well done, Mama. Well done.
Oh, how lovely. This made me happy today.
Absolutely beautiful!