Kids are Like Dogs and the Shusher
We had a wonderful vacation. The weather was gorgeous, the beaches were amazing. It could only have been better had it been longer and/or free.
My kids love the beach. They will play in the sand and surf for hours on end. They dig, they pick up shells, they jump over the waves as they come in. We built some pretty awesome sandcastles. My husband is famous for digging big holes for them to stand in. They even love going out into the water amidst the larger waves. We literally spent the entire day at the beach and never once heard the often-standard around here, "I'm bored."
In fact, we didn't hear those words at all while we were gone. There was very little bickering or tattle-telling. There was no picking on each other or random pulling of hair. My children were so incredibly well-behaved. It....was....awesome. And here is the conclusion I've come to - we were busy. We got up every morning and spent the rest of the day at the beach, which led right into dinner and walks on the pier and ice cream...which led to the sunset and two girls that fell asleep on the way home. We spent the days and half the nights at the parks and once again they crashed at the end of the day.
This brings me to my point that kids are like dogs. Have you the seen the Dog Whisperer? Cesar Milan has this theory - that if dogs get the proper amount of exercise (a daily walk basically) then they will be better behaved. He swears by it. And it's generally true for most dogs. It also confirms my theory that it is the same with children. If they are properly exercised, (entertained, busy, etc.) they are less likely to do all of the annoying fighting and temper tantrum stuff. My kids didn't watch a single second of television while we were gone. They had few toys to play with. Yet they were endlessly happy and parenting them was seemingly effortless. Now the real question is how do I implement this same strategy into our daily lives?!
I obviously can't provide roller coasters and princesses on a daily basis. I don't think I can manufacture a beach in our backyard. But it is clear to me I need to step up my parenting game. I need to look at the world around me and find the opportunities just waiting to entertain my children. Sure, we go to parks. We do all the play structures and the standard child entertainment offerings that may or may not cost an arm and a leg. We will definitely spend a lot of time at the pool. But I'm pretty sure we don't fully utilize all that is right outside our front door. We fall into convenience and ease and often do the same things over again. It's time to broaden our horizons. So, though I am a slacker when it comes to walking my dog every day...I'm going to "walk" my children. "Walk" their bodies, "walk" their brains, "walk" them and enjoy the quality time with them. (And hopefully enjoy the resulting peace.)
