Childish Things

I remember when I was young, listening to the radio with my mother. It seemed as if every song that came on was her "favourite song", or at least every other song was. I thought she was crazy. How could so many songs be her "favourite"; it didn't make any sense.

Now I understand. The more I read, the more quotes I find that I love. I have many, many favourites. My favourite can change at any moment depending on my mood. They may not all be my very favourite at this moment but have been a favourite at different times of my life. I love them and carry them with me.

Today, I thought I would write down my new favourite quote...for this moment anyway.

"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
~ C.S. Lewis

 I was an early reader and read the Little House on the Prairie series, Charlotte's Web and others when I was six and seven. When I was ten I read Sweet Valley High books. At 11 and 12 and 13 I collected Stephen King and V.C. Andrews novels and I would stay up reading until the early morning hours because I was too frightened to go to sleep.

As an adult some of my favourite books are the Anne of Green Gables series (which I read for the first time when I was pregnant with my daughter), Little Women, The Secret Garden, the Little Princess, Harry Potter and many others. I read to my kids everyday and have loved exploring some of the literature I missed out on (or that wasn't available) when I was younger.

Photo Courtesy of William Rance

As I watch my 11 year old try desperately to seem more grown up: refusing to be in the room if a cartoon is on (because they are SO stupid), and not wanting to read "baby books" (anything with pictures) to her brothers because they are SO beneath her. I am reminded of my 11 year old self and how hard those pre-teen and teen years could be and how desperately I wanted to be an adult. I am grateful for age and the wisdom I have gained to know that it is okay to stand out and be different and it is also okay to just be a kid sometimes no matter what your age is.

cousins

Most of my memories of growing up include cousins. I have a lot. They were a big part of my childhood. I am so happy that my kids have cousins that are a big part of their childhood as well. Friends are great, but family is...well, family.

This spring break my sister and her family have been visiting. Our days have been pretty ordinary, but for my kids ordinary days + cousins = an extraordinary good time.

Even the simplest things are so much more fun with the cousins.

Between the two of us, my sister and I have eight kids. Six boys...they range in age from 3 to 9 and two girls ages 3 and 11. My 11 year old being so much more grown up and way too mature to play with "kids" usually keeps herself out of the "fun".  But having the other seven together is like a party every day.

The kids have had a great time enjoying the new "spring" weather running around outside. My sister and I for the first time in years have enjoyed not having any toddlers around so we can sit, relax a little and visit.

I actually can not stress enough how much I have LOVED not having a toddler that I have to have my eyes focused on at ALL times. I have loved not having to pull rocks and other such lovelies out of mouths and no changing of diapers! The kids have enjoyed a bit of freedom and so have I.

From mud pies to explorations to tag and even pretending the old hose is a horse the kids have had a great time using their imaginations and playing outside. I have loved visiting with my sister in a way that we haven't been able to in a long time and the 11 year old...well, having an quiet empty house all to herself during the day?...priceless. (The poor girl shares a room with three brothers!) This is one of the best spring breaks ever!

finding joy

Yesterday morning my family and I took a walk down to the creek. My sons had been the day before with my hubby and they were eager to show me how "cool" the ice was.

My oldest son was fascinated with all the different forms the ice took. All the boys were very excited about the holes in the ice where you could look down and see the water flowing underneath.

Walking with them gave me the opportunity to explore more extreme close-ups with my camera and also another opportunity to once again learn from my boys to enjoy the little things in life.

Things that would have once seemed boring are now interesting to me as I see the world through their eyes.

We were able to lie on the ice and get VERY close to the different forms the ice took on. I was able to place the camera through the holes in the ice so we could see what it looked like underneath.

Why is it that as adults we tend to loose the fascination and excitement that we once held as children?

I have found that my happiest moments have been when I tag along and try to experience life like a child with curiosity, surprise, and a constant search for discovery. As an adult I seem to be able to grasp those (although I have a little harder time getting rid of the worry and fear that they seem to lack).

I did have a small fear of slipping and falling or breaking through the ice which I need to get rid of. What I would like to do this year is to live life more like a child.

I want to lose my fear of the unknown and just enjoy what I can see. When I really start paying attention and focusing on what is in front of me I realize that I can see a lot more than I initially thought.

I want to learn something new every day and to appreciate all the small beauties that I have around me.

As I watch my boys I try to recall being this way as a child and I can't. I remember being asked how old I felt when I was about 19 and I answered 35. I think I was born 35. When I turned 35 I suddenly felt old and realized that I had missed out on something.

It was a little depressing until I read a quote by Pablo Picasso. He said,

"It takes a long time to become young".

And for me I think this is true. As I thought of some of my goals for this year I realized that this is what I really want to do this year...I want to work on becoming young.

Maybe there is eternal youth after all...maybe it is a state of mind...joy.