Finger Paint and Other Musings

What are your favourite memories from childhood? My childhood was great, not pain-free, but truly fantastic! Some of my favorite memories? Running barefoot in the grass at twilight, catching "grass moths", dancing in the rain with my friends, feeling the wind whip through my hair as I flew down a hill on my bike. Loading our trampoline with water and friends, well beyond its capacity. Running with our troupe through the neighborhood like a pack of wild dogs. Good times!!

I was truly grieved by the changes in what was socially acceptable by the time we had children. We entered a sanitized, scheduled reality. It felt somewhat colourless.

Now I read things like "Mess-free finger painting" and my heart breaks a little. What is happening to childhood?? What happened to imagination, exploration and experience?
What happened to putting our fingers in the paint!?!

Facing this new "scheduled play date, don't let the kids run the neighbourhood" sanitized version of childhood, I felt like some color needed to be put back into childhood.

1. Our kids were allowed, no, encouraged to get dirty.  I would not get upset with them for getting muddy, instead we gave them the skills to clean up. Mud puddles, here we come!!!
2. Raincoats, rain pants, gum boots were available but not necessary. Everyone needs to run barefoot in the rain once in a while :D
3. When it snows, drop everything and get outside, catching snowflakes on your tongue is good for the soul!
4. Little boys and girls need their Mom's to initiate Nerf gun wars. It is epic. (It is also a good way to blow off steam)
5. There will be time later to clean the house. Spontaneity doesn't come naturally to me, I made a choice when my kids were little that I would try and embrace those opportunities and I think I am a little better at it now. Sometimes that means letting the house be messy.
6. If there wasn't a pack of kids to run the neighbourhood, there could be a pack at my house. There were times it didn't work, but I tried to make space for it.
7. Free time for kids is like water to a fish, lifegiving! We learned the hard way, downtime is the playground for imagination and creativity.
8. Get big boxes for them to build forts often!
9. Let them test their independence appropriately. The first time I let the boys ride across the neighbourhood to go find their friends and do some mountain biking, it was like they sprouted wings.
10. Finger paint!! The messy way!!!

We need to un-sanitize childhood a little. Let them take risks. I remember the first time I let them head to the playground alone, walkie-talkie in hand. The independence was fantastic for them. I nearly lost my mind, but it was so good for them to face things alone and test their life skills. Kids need to test their limits. They need to have the chance to have the opportunity to experience life even if it gets a little messy. Give kids a chance to go crazy. They need space to get their fingers in the paint!