Under the bed! I was shocked, and maybe a little panicked. Now I would have to rush and find things to fill up that whole space, just so the baby wouldn't go under there. Then, I called my mother and explained my new found stress. She immediately said, 'Cheyenne, every boy needs a fort.' I had never thought about it that way. He wasn't hurting himself or anything under there, why not? Why not, let him have his only little space in the house? Heck, Mack and I are trying to do the same thing! And he loves it!!
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| The progression of him realizing I'm taking pictures:) |
My mother also reminded me of my little brother growing up. I remember one time at my Aunt Liz Carol's home on the east coast up in all the mountains, I saw Trenton trekking on up the side of the mountain. So in my big 10 year old voice, I ran after him to make him stop! My mother quickly saw this and stopped me. She said something to the effect of, he has enough mamma's, let him have some space and let him explore. I got that same speech many times after that. Heck, I have to catch myself even now, when he is 16. Which all comes back to when Mack and I were dating, we're talking about where we would want to live. Mack said he wanted land, no matter were it was, he wanted land. I have never lived on land, so I wanted the reasoning behind it. He said so that his children could go out and explore and go where ever they wanted.
I've seen the wonderful examples of giving children this freedom in both my mother-in-law and my own mother and I am thankful for their examples! You walk into my in-laws garage and you can still find some of the knifes and daggers that Mack built out of wood when he was younger. Or if you go to my parents house and you listen late at night you can still hear Trenton having "imagination time". Or Austin when he decked out his room in Christmas lights and wrote ALL over his mirror, because it's not hurting anyone and it is a way for them to express themselves. These are the things I need to remember. It's boys like that, that grow up to be happy independent men who are kind and loving and who feel comfortable with themselves and those around them.
All these thoughts reminded me of a blog post that I found and really like. Its 25 Rules for Mothers with Boys. She explains each here on her blog, but here is the basic list:
1. Teach him the words for how he feels.
2. Be a cheerleader for his life
5. Encourage him to dance.
like with babies, and flowers, and animals, and other people's feelings.
13. Learn how to throw a football
23. Take him to new places
24. Kiss him
Some of my favorite are 8, 11, 12, 13, 18, 22 and especially 20! Pretty much all the ones I feel like I need to work especially hard on!! Well, the moral of my rambling is that I will not be trying to fill up the underside of my bed:)
Oh, Chey, I loved this post so darn much! I'm a firm, firm believer in letting kiddos have their own space and the freedom to explore. Even though it makes my heart skip a beat when I see Ezra so high up in his tree fortresses in our front yard, I shut my mouth, resist the urge to chide him down, and cut the apron strings once again.
ReplyDeleteCheyenne,
ReplyDeleteYou are an awesome mother! Way to go. Stetson is a lucky little boy! Enjoy this time with him!
Really great observation from a new mom (or a more experienced one even)! :) I like a book by Richard Louv: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. I no longer have a copy. He's also written: The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age which looks good. Great stuff, great mom (you)!
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