The pleasure of small things

2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 11:16

There are so many little things that make our children happy and are so easy to do! Just take the time to stop and share these precious moments with our children.

Think like a child

We don't need to split ourselves into 4 to have good family times. We only have to open our eyes and our hearts wide to notice the shining eyes of our children when we happily fought in bed one Saturday morning, the day we set up the tent in the yard, where we baked bear cookies etc.

It seems so simple to me, yet we find it very difficult to take this little minute to fit it into our crazy schedule. There is always something else to do. It's bath time, we have to go to the market, we're tired, we have to settle the accounts. These are reasons that are justified on the spot, but which ultimately do not hold water.

Our children don't ask for too much. We think that offering them the scooter like that of the neighbor or the video game like that of the friend will satisfy them for a long time, but it is not true. Archival!

Back to your childhood

Your Memoriesare probably peopled with nights under the stars, the scent of your mom's perfume, long Sunday car trips, family meals. We all have nostalgia for these strong but simple moments. This is what we must leave to our children: strong moments, imbued with lightness.

Taking a few minutes with them to smile back will likely save you valuable minutes to prepare dinner. Because the children slowly digest these attentions and they leave sated with satisfaction. The two hundred dollar games only buy our guilt for not having been able to be present these last few days with them, but they are quickly forgotten by our little rascals and our little princesses.

Consumption does not equal love and attention

We parents are their whole life. They love us and seek to be loved. By taking a few minutes to make a pizza in the shape of a clown or to play hide and seek, we show them that we like being with them. By becoming parents, we have to understand that we have to come down to their level and play with them more often. It is a pity that today we impose on our children to be adults in a child's body and head. By providing them with consumer goods as a substitute for the time spent with them, we are raising them to the process of the consumer society. A world that is not for them. Let's get down to their level and ask them what they want to do with us. You will be surprised to hear them saythat they want to play with toy cars, do a puzzle, bake cookies. Open your ears and you will hear little hearts beating with joy. Open your eyes and you will see sparkling eyes, dazzling smiles.

As I write these lines to you, my man is taking care of the children. Early in the evening, he was playing a video game in the basement. I heard the children screaming, they seemed to be having fun, but my man had to stop often to settle some conflicts. Then he stopped and started playing with them. wow! What a change of attitude on the part of the children! I couldn't hear them bickering anymore, they were laughing and everything was fine. Like what, it only takes a few moments of attention to change the wind on board.

Here are some ideas for activities to do with your children:

Go to the drive-in and fit a bed in the suitcase (ideally in a minivan!)

Make a cake and let the children do the decorating and especially let them lick the whisks and spoons

Set up a tent in the yard

Have a picnic in the living room in the middle of winter

Choose a story and do a lively reading

Go for a walk in your pajamas on a hot summer evening

Add food coloring to beaten eggs and make colorful scrambled eggs

Eating sausages and marshmallows over a campfire

Masking kids without any special occasion

Create a boxdisguise with the post-Halloween sales and take out the box once in a while