St.Petes

Yesterday I read a beautiful post at You Plus Two Parenting by a mother of two boys, for a series called 28 Days of Play. The idea is that for the month of February there will be a new post each day about the concept of play related to parenting. It isn’t one upping that he plays more or she gets craftier, it’s beautiful, honest glimpses into families.

28days_header_cal_2015

 

It is a different life to parent boys, than raising girls, but the men and women doing it are as much a part of my daughters’ futures as the experiences we are having in our life. Kim Simon, the author, shares how her boys have changed her and how she has found a new, unexpected rhythm in living with them.

I loved this passage in particular:

They are motion and gravity and I am the center of their centrifugal force. They careen back to me in intervals, folding themselves into my lap and tucking their heads beneath my chin. I would like to believe that my whispers and squeezes and deep breaths fill them with the quiet that they need. That as I learn to swim with their current, they learn to always let it guide them back to shore.

 

If you’d like you can read the entirety of her post here. Today it’s my turn to share a post. Lately I have been witnessing a shift with the girls. I am trying to not to interfere too much, letting their squabbles teach them about compromise and civility (or not) and the divergent interests serve as a push to find things to do alone. The thing is it hurts to watch, whether it’s Briar looking like she might actually want to play with dolls, but 10 year olds don’t do that, or Finley wanting to watch a Christmas themed movies and her sisters scoff that it’s not December anymore.

I can’t force them to slow down or speed up their development. I shouldn’t resent them when they don’t bend, but parenting is sticky and I am human. I’d love it if you head over to read my post. I am genuinely curious about your thoughts. Do you struggle with this? I’m closing comments here, but please click over and do leave a comment over there! Thank you.

You can read the post over at 28 Days of Play.