I dunno
I was speaking with my SIL yesterday morning. at 6:30 am. Apparently, even after two years, the time change from Europe to Canada still escapes her. But I digress.
We were talking about the kids (her three and my three) and some of the differences we have noticed in personalities and approaches in life. She is comfortable in a small town in Germany having her seven and five year old outside in a field about 5 - 6 houses away playing with each other. I would not even consider that. But we talked about reasoning and my thoughts are that 1) I don't trust the people around me and 2) I don't trust that my kids will not get into trouble. Jen had me questioning though - was there ever a time when your kids DID get into trouble? I could not think of a solid answer.
My kids are generally good kids. Will they fight with other kids? Absolutely! But it is rare and, for the most part, they will talk it out (by that I mean a little name calling) and walk (or run) away.
As I cleaned in the silence of an empty house yesterday I thought maybe it was time for me to give my kids more autonomy. It would certainly be easier on me. Then I walked into Keegan's room. Somehow (I dunno how) the picture frames that are on the shelf above his bed are all lying face down. As I approach, I realize that the photos have been pulled out of the frames (they are children's frames with a filmy plastic covering and no glass). They are the shapes of animals. One is missing his tail. All the photos are crumpled into little heaps and the prop on the back of one of the frames has been ripped off.
That Jen, is the reason that my children are not left unsupervised. I have no doubt that my two year old would not have been trying to destroy the frames or the pictures. In his curiosity, he was no doubt wondering how the pictures go in, WHY they go in, how the frames stand, etc. And yet, I no longer have three adorable picture frames in his room.
We were talking about the kids (her three and my three) and some of the differences we have noticed in personalities and approaches in life. She is comfortable in a small town in Germany having her seven and five year old outside in a field about 5 - 6 houses away playing with each other. I would not even consider that. But we talked about reasoning and my thoughts are that 1) I don't trust the people around me and 2) I don't trust that my kids will not get into trouble. Jen had me questioning though - was there ever a time when your kids DID get into trouble? I could not think of a solid answer.
My kids are generally good kids. Will they fight with other kids? Absolutely! But it is rare and, for the most part, they will talk it out (by that I mean a little name calling) and walk (or run) away.
As I cleaned in the silence of an empty house yesterday I thought maybe it was time for me to give my kids more autonomy. It would certainly be easier on me. Then I walked into Keegan's room. Somehow (I dunno how) the picture frames that are on the shelf above his bed are all lying face down. As I approach, I realize that the photos have been pulled out of the frames (they are children's frames with a filmy plastic covering and no glass). They are the shapes of animals. One is missing his tail. All the photos are crumpled into little heaps and the prop on the back of one of the frames has been ripped off.
That Jen, is the reason that my children are not left unsupervised. I have no doubt that my two year old would not have been trying to destroy the frames or the pictures. In his curiosity, he was no doubt wondering how the pictures go in, WHY they go in, how the frames stand, etc. And yet, I no longer have three adorable picture frames in his room.
posted by y-vonne at 4:23 AM
1 Comments:
Yoda's Papa!
I hope this came across more as a comment on my boys than any kind of criticism on the freedoms children can find in a small German town. I think your kids are very lucky to be able to safely have such freedoms and both parents are lucky to be in that kind of an environment.
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