Thursday, June 5, 2014

Childhood Is Fun

"Childhood is fun!"

Surprising words coming from my oldest daughter who, at not quite twelve years old, is in quite a hurry to grow up.  She wants desperately to be old enough to be independent.

She wanted clay which we didn't have.  Being the creative girl that she is, she decided to create her own.  She dug up some dirt, added some water, and Voila!  She had clay.  By the time I came upon her, her six year old sister had also gotten in on the action and they stood at the concrete table in our front yard.  As I approached, they called "Hey Mom!" and waved, baring their palms that were covered in red dirt.  They smiled.  They giggled.  Their joy was exuding from them.

Admittedly, my first thought was, "Ugh!  What a mess! I hope they didn't get any on their clothes."  Fortunately, their happiness drowned out that voice in my head.  AS they went inside to wash up, even my middle daughter got in on the action, chuckling as she squirted soap for her sisters so they didn't have to touch anything with their filthy hands.

As they laughed together over the kitchen sink, my oldest said those words.  "Childhood is fun!"  

Yes, it is, my love.  At least it should be.  

I'm not going to lie to you.  I have been stressed lately.  We are in the throes of the last two weeks of school, so testing and class parties and craziness are in full swing.  I work at a church, but I will be out of town the next two Sundays, so I have been feverishly trying to get things in order so they will be ready for others in my absence.  

One of those weekends (this weekend!), I will be at BlogU, a conference for bloggers.  I will get to meet so many of my online friends in person for the first time.  I will also be traveling alone - something I have almost never done.  I am equally excited, nervous, and overwhelmed.

The second weekend, we will be heading to the beach with my husband's family - an annual tradition.  I can't wait, but the preparation to pack up five people for and entire week away is big.  And, because of all the other things, it seems I have no time to get it all done.

I'm sure the other people in my house have felt my stress and I know that my temper has been a bit short.

Just for a moment, though, all that stress melted away.  It was fleeting, but for a brief few seconds, I was lost in my children's laughter and happiness on a lovely (almost) summer evening.

My beautiful girls reminded me to laugh and relax.  They reminded me that it's ok to try something new and get dirty.  They reminded me that childhood is fun.

Always remember to laugh and have fun, my dears.  Even when you are stressed, or struggling, or sad always remember to find the joy.  (And, thanks for reminding me to remember, too!)



11 comments:

Janine Huldie said...

Sometimes, it takes our kids to teach us what is most important. Trust me, i have my moments and then all of a sudden my girls will say or do something and I am reminded what it is all about. So, I totally get it. Have fun at BlogU and totally wish I could be there now.

Michelle Nahom said...

They sound like they have it right! Sometimes we do have to just enjoy the moments and roll with things...kids often are much better at that than us.

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

I am terrible at that, but I'm glad they remind me sometimes!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Janine! Wish you were coming, too!

Jenny @ Express Bus Mama said...

You took the words out of my mouth. My son said something similar the other day and it really made me stop and think about how lucky he is to have a relatively carefree childhood. As his mother I'll do the best I can to make sure it stays that way.

Tamara Bowman said...

Childhood is fun! So is adulthood.
It will be my first traveling alone in years, although I once drove ten hours ONE WAY to the middle of Maine. Alone. And then came back the next day. I'll tell that story one day. So this will be like nothing!! No moose, but lots of great friends.

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

It will be one of my only times traveling alone, too. I didn't travel much before I met my hubby - if I did, it was when I was a kid. He travels A LOT for work and is a travel pro. When I'm with him, I just follow along and try to keep up. I have flown by myself only once and it was a very short flight. I always worry that I'm getting on the wrong plane or something stupid!

Dana said...

Childhood is fun, and it's great that your daughter took the time to realize that. I wish I had appreciated it more when I was a kid. But as Tamara said, adulthood is fun too! Especially this weekend. I can't wait to meet you in person - hope you don't mind that I'm a hugger :)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

I don't mind at all! I imagine we will all feel a bit like kids this weekend! :-)

Tarana said...

Lots of exciting things for you ahead, I see! Your daughter's words are wise behind her years, and beautiful too. She's at that age where everything seems exciting about growing up.

R.F. Dietz said...

I AM SO JEALOUS! You are at BLOGU! aww man! I wanted to go so badly but I couldn't find a flight for
less than 400 bucks so I opted out. Just wasn’t in the cards this year. But
have fun!

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