It's two days after Christmas. I'm having a good time here at my in-laws' house (despite the fact that the TV has been on nearly 24-7). My husband and I received many nice gifts, including some for the Wii that I hope will help us keep in shape.
Speaking of keeping in shape, we went for a walk at the Ijams Nature Center yesterday- just the two of us. It was really nice to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air and the birds (see my nature blog for more details). Whenever I think about having children recently, my mind starts to turn to what we'd like to do with them. And for them. And what we don't want to do to them. We'd started a journal at home to be filled with the things our parents did for us that we would like to do for them. And also what we DON'T want to do to them. So I think about these things while we are walking.
We really want our children to be outside, as much as possible. We have plans to take them for walks like the one we went on yesterday (although maybe not the 1 mile uphill hike around the quarry). In this digital age, we would love it if we could avoid handheld electronics until they are in high school. Both my husband and I hope we can cultivate in our kids a love of and interest in nature, in observation and the amazing things you can see when you're quiet enough. I could just take my mom's tactic and lock our kids outside the house in the summer until lunch or dinner, except that here in Georgia the temps can hit the 100's.
In another vein, I was also thinking about Christmas presents. I read another blog where a family with two small boys (2 and 6, respectively) could not afford to buy new gifts for them. Luckily, they had saved one or two gifts from prior birthdays (unopened, that the kids didn't know about) that then served as Christmas gifts. I thought that was a great idea. It's frugal but not stingy. The kids were able to get new gifts and the parents didn't have to go bankrupt trying to provide for them. I liked that idea. I also like the idea that teaching kids to be good givers can feel just as good as being recipients in this season of consumption. It's something I had to learn myself over this last year of un- and under-employment. Not watching commercials makes it easier (thanks, Netflix!).
I suppose every parent wants to instill good values in their children. And we all hope that we can do well.
Here's to the future...let's raise a glass to what might be and dream of the endless possibilities around us.
No comments:
Post a Comment