I couldn’t help but set a meal for my guys this morning that was a little foolish. The egg is made from yogurt and half a canned apricot. The juice is actually jello. And I’d actually done something similar a few years ago and they totally didn’t remember it today at all. They were simply thrilled when they sat down at the table because they were having red juice instead of their usual apple or orange and then became even more thrilled when it turned out to be jello. I had told them that they should hurry to breakfast because their eggs were getting cold and they giggled and told me that the eggs were freezing already and we giggled for a while over a day that is quite silly.
It was simple. It took maybe 5 minutes to do. And the surprise was over in about 5 minutes. But I really liked that they said “You really fooled us. We liked the surprise.” It made the silliness a little special and it made me happy and it let me in on their play that is becoming more and more independent these days. And I remember the magic in moments like these from my childhood, we had the most amazing holidays in our house growing up.
But the best part of a lovely day like today was not that moment. It was probably the walk to school. We walk daily. It’s how I make sure we all get in a little exercise. Sometimes it is rushed and horrible. Sometimes it’s a chore. But every walk seems to help get us a little closer together as people, especially since the kids are now old enough to talk in full, coherent sentences and have neat ideas about everything. We have the best conversations on these walks. Today we talked about how they want to go to the sewer museum in France (Thanks to the show we watched from Travel with Kids Paris) and how this cherry blossom tree could be an umbrella.
I watched them run down the hill and screamed after them the whole time that they would break their ankles and blood would get all over the place and I would faint. (I am a hypochondriac with a flair for the dramatic and I wish I could help it but I can’t.) And they giggled and laughed as they ran faster.
But I really hope that these walks start a conversation that we can continue as they grow older and start having multiple opinions over everything and opinions that differ from mine. I will be the same mother who walked with them and listened to them and talked with them, and maybe that will be something they will remember throughout life. And through these breakfasts and walks and travels and celebrations, I hope that my husband and I are expanding their horizon to see that the world is not just not flat but imagine it exponentially dimensional. And I hope they always feel supported in whatever journey they choose as their life path.
(PS. I read an article today by Bunmi Laditan about her being done with making her kids’ childhood magical that made me a little thoughtful and it’s a good read. And though I’m still going to endeavor to make my kids’ lives and my own as magical as possible, I like the idea of all of us finding magic in small things, and not just over-the-top things. And I like her call for us grownups to stop competing with each other-I think that’s what I understood from this. I do what I do because I like it, and not because I’m comparing my life to something I’d like it to be. I’m thankful for the time I get to spend with my kids and I like that I get to think about how I get to spend it with them. Articles like this one help to open my eyes a little and I would love to hear what you think too.)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)