Our family lives a very scheduled life, as many families in today's society do. There are jokes and cartoons about letting kids have run of the mill "play" time, versus taking them from activity to activity. I can honestly say I am guilty of that problem. We are often too busy for play dates because we have so many activities on our schedule. The more children you have, the more activities you go to. It never seems to stop. It's very different from when I was a kid. All of our activities were on the weekends and during the week we played outside with the neighborhood kids. No classes, just running amok from house to house playing outdoor games and using your imagination. Wow, how times have changed.
Sarah had an egg hunt at school yesterday. They don't do things like that in the public schools, probably due to the religious implications, but the preschools can do it. I told her about the egg hunt about a week ago and said I probably would not be able to come because it was the same time as Amanda's swim class. It wasn't going to be a big deal anyway, just a five minute hunt before they started recess.
Side Note: You probably think I'm crazy for putting a seven month old in swim class, but we have a pool and I'd like her to be comfortable in the water before summer starts. Andy and Sarah both started around that time and they are great swimmers.
Sarah told me she couldn't do the hunt without me, she needed my help and she really wanted me there. She's been super clingy lately and a little lacking in parental attention. So, I grudgingly agreed to go and cancelled Amanda's class for the week. I got to the school a little early and helped the teacher spread the eggs around the playground. The playground is tiny and it was really windy so the eggs were blowing all over the place. When the kids did come out Sarah was so excited to see me. I didn't really help her that much. I just followed her around with the video camera suggesting other places she could look for eggs. She collected a good number and was so excited. Then the kids broke cascarones (confetti filled eggs, a tradition in Mexico) over each others heads. They had a great time and so did I.
So I didn't really do what I had planned that morning, but now I see that sometimes it's good to go off schedule. People with older children are always telling me to enjoy this time because it goes so fast and someday when their lives are much more complicated I'll wish for it back. I don't doubt that's true, but so often you get wrapped up in your daily life and trying to get everything done, or at least partially done, that you don't take time to just sit back and enjoy what you have. Yesterday, just for a few minutes, I took the time to watch my daughter do something that made her so happy. It wasn't that hard for me to change my schedule and it meant so much to her. That's what it's all about.
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