Question:
"Hey, Mom...I want to know what happens when you mix play doh and glue together, leave it out in the rain overnight, then let it sit in the sun all day the next day!"
Answer:
It turns into slime. And it is apparently fun to stomp in barefoot.
Question:
"Hey, Mom...I want to know what happens when I slide down the basement stairs butt naked!"
Answer:
Rug burn.
Question:
Hey, Mom...I want to catch a bunny! I'm going to need a box, some carrots, tape, markers, a sharp knife....
Answer: Heck no, you can't have a knife! And if you catch a bunny, you can't have it, either!
Question:
"Hey...I want to know what happens when I let the kids help me paint the play set!"
Answer:
Paint everywhere BUT the play set. "Safety Red" colored children. An irate wife.
Okay, so the last one was my husband, but you get the idea.
My kids have some of the craziest theories about how the world around them works, they devise some of the weirdest ways to test these theories, and precious few (in my experience thus far) succeed in achieving the expected outcome. And these are just the little things when it comes to their experiments. As they grow and mature, the world around them will also grow, and I know they will want to discover more and more about what it has to offer. This will also most likely result in some unsavory results. Trust me, I'm not exactly looking forward to the dramas that friendships, dating relationships, post-high school decisions, and Heaven only knows what else, will bring. But I also try to remind myself that, to my kids, these things will each be an adventure...a journey. And I have to remind myself that, although each journey is bound to be crazy, messy, someone may get hurt, and it is more than likely destined to fail, it is THEIR journey, not mine. AND I have to remind myself that sometimes they WILL succeed and what a wonderful outcome that will be!
So what is an overly anxious and protective parent to do? I really don't know...other than JUST BREATH. In through the mouth, out through the nose. Or is it the other way around? Heck, it doesn't really matter, I guess, as long as I'm breathing and there for them. Surely, they will come to me countless times asking permission to do something crazy, and a hundred times more asking forgiveness for something crazy they've already done. But...but...but...through it all, I will hopefully just breath.
And what is the kid of an overly anxious and protective parent to do? JUST DO IT! While my prayer is that they will use their little brains before they just do it, that is the best advice I can give. As far as my own kids are concerned, I've given (and will continue to give) them the best tools I know how to make good decisions, but once they reach the Starting Line, the journey is theirs and theirs alone. I will remind them that I will be there waiting at the Finish to congratulate them and, if I get the sense they're beginning to falter, I will meet them in the middle. However, even then, I will hopefully remind them that the journey will STILL be theirs...the best I can do is cheer them on for having the courage to JUST DO IT and remind myself to JUST BREATH.
And if that dang bunny trap ever does actually work...we are still not keeping the bunny!
My kids have some of the craziest theories about how the world around them works, they devise some of the weirdest ways to test these theories, and precious few (in my experience thus far) succeed in achieving the expected outcome. And these are just the little things when it comes to their experiments. As they grow and mature, the world around them will also grow, and I know they will want to discover more and more about what it has to offer. This will also most likely result in some unsavory results. Trust me, I'm not exactly looking forward to the dramas that friendships, dating relationships, post-high school decisions, and Heaven only knows what else, will bring. But I also try to remind myself that, to my kids, these things will each be an adventure...a journey. And I have to remind myself that, although each journey is bound to be crazy, messy, someone may get hurt, and it is more than likely destined to fail, it is THEIR journey, not mine. AND I have to remind myself that sometimes they WILL succeed and what a wonderful outcome that will be!
So what is an overly anxious and protective parent to do? I really don't know...other than JUST BREATH. In through the mouth, out through the nose. Or is it the other way around? Heck, it doesn't really matter, I guess, as long as I'm breathing and there for them. Surely, they will come to me countless times asking permission to do something crazy, and a hundred times more asking forgiveness for something crazy they've already done. But...but...but...through it all, I will hopefully just breath.
And what is the kid of an overly anxious and protective parent to do? JUST DO IT! While my prayer is that they will use their little brains before they just do it, that is the best advice I can give. As far as my own kids are concerned, I've given (and will continue to give) them the best tools I know how to make good decisions, but once they reach the Starting Line, the journey is theirs and theirs alone. I will remind them that I will be there waiting at the Finish to congratulate them and, if I get the sense they're beginning to falter, I will meet them in the middle. However, even then, I will hopefully remind them that the journey will STILL be theirs...the best I can do is cheer them on for having the courage to JUST DO IT and remind myself to JUST BREATH.
And if that dang bunny trap ever does actually work...we are still not keeping the bunny!
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