The kids were home on Friday because the weather was so cold they closed all the schools. While I'm sure there are places in the territories that get much colder than what we experienced, and they probably don't close their schools, I was happy for the reprieve. We got to have a lazy morning. I didn't have to make lunches or bundle up an crabby Miss P. in her snow clothes. Really it was a win all around.
Luckily the weekend had much warmer temperatures and we were able to enjoy the outside.
We went to a church skating party that was held at a mennonite school just outside the city. It was so nice. The rink was big enough to so that those who wanted to play some hockey could do it at one end and those who wanted just to skate normally could do it at the other. There were also the coolest play structures for the kids. It was made with wood and metal and would totally not be allowed at a regular school, which really is a shame.
They had this awesome hill in the back with a slide going down it. The kids loved sliding down it into a big pile of fresh snow. There were teeter-toters made out of big planks of wood. And fun swings. The kids had a blast skating, sliding and playing.
We live in a world of rules and regulations. We do this all in the name of keeping kids/people safe. Safety is very important, but at the same time it can be over kill. There have been reports of some cities banning tobogganing. To me that is crazy. Tobogganing is the best thing to do in winter. As with anything, it comes with an element of risk, but it is up to parents to monitor their kids and to teach them what is appropriate and what is not. Because of the lapse in judgement of a few, many are affected.
We need to let our kids play. And not just in the safe confines of our homemade bubbles. We need to allow them to have some elements of risk, that allow them to figure things out and learn to see hazards themselves. We need to arm them with skills and confidence so that they can keep themselves safe when we are not around, 'cause we won't always be. We need to let our kids have fun.
I think, sometimes as adults we forget to let our hair down and just have some good old fashioned fun. We spend a lot of our life wanting to grow up. When we do, we gain a lot of responsibilities. Sometimes those responsibilities overshadow everything and make it hard to relax and have fun. But we need to. For our sakes and for our kids'. Life doesn't have to be serious all the time. And our kids need us to play with them. So go tobogganing, go skating, have a snow fight, make a snow fort. If nothing else, you will be getting exercise, and your kids will be having a blast.
If outdoor winter activities aren't your thing, play hide and seek inside, or sardines. Play boards games. Play things, that don't involve a screen so you can really connect. Enjoy some good old fashioned fun!
 |
| from lds.org media files |
They had this awesome hill in the back with a slide going down it. The kids loved sliding down it into a big pile of fresh snow. There were teeter-toters made out of big planks of wood. And fun swings. The kids had a blast skating, sliding and playing.
We live in a world of rules and regulations. We do this all in the name of keeping kids/people safe. Safety is very important, but at the same time it can be over kill. There have been reports of some cities banning tobogganing. To me that is crazy. Tobogganing is the best thing to do in winter. As with anything, it comes with an element of risk, but it is up to parents to monitor their kids and to teach them what is appropriate and what is not. Because of the lapse in judgement of a few, many are affected.
We need to let our kids play. And not just in the safe confines of our homemade bubbles. We need to allow them to have some elements of risk, that allow them to figure things out and learn to see hazards themselves. We need to arm them with skills and confidence so that they can keep themselves safe when we are not around, 'cause we won't always be. We need to let our kids have fun.
I think, sometimes as adults we forget to let our hair down and just have some good old fashioned fun. We spend a lot of our life wanting to grow up. When we do, we gain a lot of responsibilities. Sometimes those responsibilities overshadow everything and make it hard to relax and have fun. But we need to. For our sakes and for our kids'. Life doesn't have to be serious all the time. And our kids need us to play with them. So go tobogganing, go skating, have a snow fight, make a snow fort. If nothing else, you will be getting exercise, and your kids will be having a blast.
If outdoor winter activities aren't your thing, play hide and seek inside, or sardines. Play boards games. Play things, that don't involve a screen so you can really connect. Enjoy some good old fashioned fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment