6 Reasons I do silly things with my kids!
Against The Grain
When my kids ask me to join them in some silly adventure, I do it! I have been on skates at the skating ring doing the chicken dance and the hokey pokey. I have ridden the giddy up animals at the mall. I have put my hands up and screamed on the little tiny shamu ride or the dragon ride at the fair. I have worn mismatching way to long necklaces all day long that were made for me. I have had tattoos on me in obvious spots that look ridiculous. I have worn footie pajamas. I have eaten on blankets at a park instead of on the picnic tables. I have gone down the slides and across the monkey bars. When my sons hip hop teacher invited us in and said we could dance with them for the last five minutes of class, I was in there! I may have been the only parent dancing with them and I did not impress anyone with my moves, but I was there! When my kids want me to do something with them, I will! I don’t care what other people think or how it may look!
1. My kids are more important to me than other people: My kids are my priority. If they ask me to put roller skates on, even though I haven’t done it in 10 years and may fall a few times, I will do it! If I catch my self looking around at all of the other adults to see what my decision should be, I know I’m doing the wrong thing. I have to remind my self to be involved with my kids instead of trying to fit in with the other parents!
2. Silliness makes the best memories: I want my kids to grow up remembering their fun child hood and I want to be in those memories. I don’t want them making memories with each other and other friends and never thinking about me when they look back. I want them to remember their mom being right there next to them. Plus, the sillier I look, the more likely they are to remember that day!
3. Kids grow up fast: My kids used to ask me to sing with them, now they cant stand the singing! Then they would ask me to go down the slide with them, now they hardly ever go down slides. Then they would ask me to let them bury me in the sand, now they are busy swimming. If I decided in the past that singing the Team Umizoomi song at the top of my lungs while jumping around with them was to embarrassing to do, I would have totally missed that opportunity. If I didn’t race them down the slide when they were younger, that would have been a missed opportunity. So, when my kids tell me I should get on the giddy up ride at the mall, I get on it! I get on it proud and I laugh and smile and I don’t care what I look like because in a few years, my kids wont ask me to ride the giddy ups and instead will ask to be dropped off at the door!
4. It always turns out to be fun: When I decide to put footie pajamas on and slide up and down hallways, I always end up having a ton of fun! I personally see my kids as a great excuse to do things like ride the dragon at the fair!
5. Judging eyes don’t deter me: I never want my kids to make decisions based on what others think. It is important to make decisions based on what is right and what makes you happy, not what the people at my sons dance studio think about how I look dancing next to him in class when it was offered!
6. I want them to be involved parents: If I don’t get involved with my kids, they most likely wont be involved with theirs. I want them to be attentive parents, ready to have a good time. That means I need to show them that I am not afraid to be sill with them!
I just want my kids to have fun and be happy. When I get involved, it makes them smile and laugh. Then, I hear them telling their friends about what their mom did! I need to teach them that what the person next to you thinks about you, doesn’t define you and it shouldn’t deter you. How can I teach them that if I allow it to deter me from the fun things in life!
~Laura Wright
Good post! Kids grow up very fast, and everything will become memorable things!