My mum and I share an iCloud. It’s usually crammed full of photos of the kids or things I’ve seen.
Recently, I sent her a photo of the two of them and when I spoke to her later that night, she said she would come down the next day and help me bath them. I giggled to myself. They must have looked really dirty on that day’s photos.
Even as babies I never bathed them every day and, with it being summer and Hubster working all the time, I probably don’t bath them as often as I should.
I do flannel them down every night (I call it a cat lick) so they are not dirty dirty.
It has got me thinking though.
Over the school holidays, parents can often feel pressure to ‘do stuff’ with their kids.
I read a post recently from Pixie Dust where the mum felt bad that she hadn’t taken her son anywhere grand yet this holiday.
She had took him to the beach and the park and the boy had climbed his first tree.
This made me feel sad. Time is the most precious thing you can give a child. Not hundreds of pounds spent on theme park entrances.
We are lucky living on a farm. My children have adventure and the great outdoors at their finger tips.
They come in filthy every night and I did refer to them as urchins to my blogger friends the other day but id rather them be grubby urchins over the summer than have their days crammed with expensive activities.
Last weekend we took lunch to daddy in the hay field and someone commented on Instagram that they would be memories that last a lifetime.
That is what being a parent is all about to me. Making memories. Spending time together.
We may not go to Disney land or even Spain but my kids get fresh air every day.
For me that is priceless.
So take your children to open spaces-to parks and beaches and farmland. Leave your wipes at home for once and let them become urchins like my two. You will all feel invigorated.
It’s what childhood is all about.
I absolutely love this! I don’t drive so we find most of our fun in the local area – parks, walks, etc, and the littles never complain xx ps I don’t bathe them daily either, nothing wrong with a quick wipe bath 😉 xx
Well said. I think it’s great for everyone to get fresh air hence our geocaching adventures. #MyWildOnes
I completely agree. My kids are lucky that they have been on a few lovely days out but most days we are just at the park or in the woods. Nothing wrong with a good old bit of dirt either. Sarah #WhateverTheWeather
Thank you for writing this! Guilt is something that I am constantly battling and sometimes I am winning and sometimes I am not. This makes me feel okay that we are not going anywhere but we are spending time together.
I dont bathe Sebastian everyday too haha… I just use wet tissue to clean him at nights. And my mother would always tell me to clean his face as its always mucky when she would see photos of him!
#whatevertheweather
Absolutely! Fresh air, some mud, and permission to run around and play is exactly what childhood is about. My fondest childhood memories are those spent in campsites or on the beach just being me. Expensive holidays are wonderful, but you can’t beat just spending time as a family outdoors. Perfect.
I love this and agree wholeheartedly. Children gain so much from freedom and space. #whatevertheweather
I love this post, it’s so true. The best days are those like today, where we’ve spent time with family in the garden. I love seeing families online just doing normal stuff, not just the instagram-ready pics #whatevertheweather
I agree- it’s all amount quality time and experiences. I feel sad that many people feel the pressure that they need to spend money on someone to show their love. I disagree with this strongly. We live in a commercial world where we are encouraged to buy buy buy as a way of proving something.
I was brought up in a very similar way to your children; out at fist light, home at dark, covered in mud!
Jenni x
The Thrifty Magpies Nest