Yesterday when we were outside playing, a little neighbour girl, the same age as Lily, asked her mum if she could join in. The mum said yes and spent the next 10 minutes saying, be careful Bella, maybe you should change your shoes, don't go so fast, she has never been on a pogo stick she needs to be more careful. On and on she went until I decided to take my girls inside because Bella was not about to get hurt and my girls somehow get blamed for it.
It's a good thing that neighbour lady wasn't outside today because she probably would have called the Dept of Children and F*milies.
This was a spontaneous move on their part and had I known they were about to do I might have suggested long trousers and long sleeve shirts, just in case. They laughed their little faces off. They didn't crash or even get one scrape. They weren't playing with fire or laying down on railway tracks. They were using the trickster bars on Lil's bike and Rosie trusted her enough to give it a go. I'm proud of their sense of adventure and their joie de vivre. There will be scraps and scratches. I did worse than this, heck my big sister even made me walk on the roof of a barn and I fell through. Our big brother did a few things to her too. It's life.
I am a firm believer that the whole idea of life is not to get to the finish line in a perfectly preserved body. A few battle scars here and there show character, show that your life was interesting and fun. That being said when I see my girls do stuff like this, I cringe, I am their mother after all.
6 comments:
I remember doing that as a kid and I survived too. :)
Amen Mama!! My brothers dared me to climb a huge tree & then ran away laughing when I couldn't get down! Growing up with 3 brothers definitely made me a "tom boy" & toughened me up!
Having crazy fun is good for an adventure or two!
Don't you just love the weather we are having? What happened to winter? (we, here in the "north", usually are freezing in Jan-Feb!)
Alyzabeth's Mommy
What's the problem? They were wearing helmets. A few scrapes won't kill anyone. I remember doing far worse at Lily's age!! I think it's absolutely awesome that Rosie trusts her big sis enough to ride with her on the bike.
As for Bella? She's going to end up neurotic & afraid to try anything.
But, alas, what do I know? I don't think helmets should be required. Erin does wear one though.
The smile on Rosie's face is priceless!!
From now on just make sure when the girls are outside they have on shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads,and of course their helmet. There is a chance they will survive childhood then. Oiy!
Unlike Tammie, I do think helmets should be required - because brain injuries are usually permanent, and irreversible - unlike a broken bone that will heal. I have a brain injury. Putting a kid's future at risk over not using a helmet is foolish and irresponsible. If you want to go helmet-less as an adult, that's your choice and you pay the consequences if you get hurt. But a child is too young to make good decisions sometimes, and as parents we should be making the responsible decisions for them to keep them safe. Thank goodness it is required by law.
On the other hand, I am all for letting them climb trees, get dirty, play like the boys, etc...and I hold my breath and cringe on the inside but cheer Kerri on. I think it's a Mom thing. I have never stopped her from doing anything she wanted to do. But I do make her wear a helmet on her bike or during snow sports. :o)
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