I had a magical childhood, this is what I know.
My kids are still little and I spend a ridiculous amount of time thinking about how to give them a magical childhood. And after much thought and conversation with childhood friends and my spouse. Its not as hard as you may think but it does require that you let go. You as the parent have to let go of it being beautiful. And aesthetic. And… clean. (That one is SO hard for me.) But the truth is, my magical memories are full of mess, disorganization and space.
- Making “Blackberry Soup”
- Forts made of evergreen branches and dirt floors
- Napping in the shade, covered in sand
- Bare and dirty feet
- Falling off a slimy rocks onto my butt in ankle deep water
- Using hammers and nails, appropriately… and not
- Painting furniture with the wrong kind of paint and not prepping the surface
- Eating cherries that I picked off my uncles tree until I made myself ill (the ill part was NOT magical, but sitting on my best friends shoulders picking cherries was)
- Staying up late at making frozen pizza
- Creating traditions that I never missed, like getting milkshakes with my two closest friends on the last day of school every year
- Doing dance offs into the early morning hours in the basement
- Baking completely inedible things
No one hovered over me while I created these things. I was left to my own devices and imagination. Did I break things? You bet. Was I held accountable to fix them. You bet. Did I learn? You bet. And I had a ton of fun too!
No one hovered over me while I created these things. I was left to my own devices and imagination. Did I break things? You bet. Was I held accountable to fix them. You bet. Did I learn? You bet. And I had a ton of fun too.
Create space for your kiddo. Often they can make their own magic. And if you get invited in, take the backseat to your child’s imagination. And enjoy the messy unrealistic ride.
(But before they stomp on the 5gal bucket of blackberries to make the soup, pull out 6 cups so you can make a smoothie and a crisp.)
PS- Don’t forget to sign up for my FREE smoothie recipes book. What’s more magical than someone handing you a smoothie on your way out the door?!
