Friday, October 05, 2007
A few weeks back, on the way home from a Pack Meeting, I had the following conversation with Hunter and Noah.
Noah: There's a Golden Book that tells what boys and girls do and one of the things boys do is climb trees.
Mom (thinking he must be talking about a real Golden Book): Is this a book you can get at the school library?
Noah: No. . . it's just a book inside my head.
Mom (very interested now): What else does it say boys do?
Noah (in a ho-hummy way): Explore. . . lots of swimming. . . .
Hunter (joining in on the list): . . . video games. . .
Mom (kind of curious): What does it say girls do?
Noah: Stay clean. . . and nice.
Hunter: Also boys like to play in dirt and make things with it.
 This reminded me of a conversation I had with Mark several months ago. It seemed like everywhere we went where there was a tree I had a large number of people either telling me my boys shouldn't be climbing the trees or telling my boys directly that they shouldn't or couldn't climb said trees. And I started finding it rather annoying because I'm the mother, that's why and if I say they can climb the trees then dog-on-it, they can! And also because, like Noah said, that's just what boys do. And if a bunch of little boys can't climb trees, then what can they do? Several of the annoying people sticking their noses in my children's business said things like, "oh but they could get hurt" or "oh they could break their arms." And while I acknowledge the boys could fall and yes, they could even get hurt, I also acknowledge they could trip on a crack in the sidewalk and get hurt, or roll out of bed and break their arm and I'm sort of not into keeping my little boys in a bubble. Kids get hurt, for Pete's sake (whoever Pete is), and since when do we let that keep our kids from living happy, healthy, normal lives? And like Noah, I have to agree, climbing trees is part of living a happy, healthy, normal life for any little (or big for that matter) boy. And it's just this sort of person, that's constantly stressing about the what-could-happens, that makes parenting for me, very difficult.
I heard a rumor that if you are caught climbing a tree in Central Park (of all stinkin' places) you could get a ticket. Maybe this is just some lie an overprotective parent told me to keep me from letting my kids climb trees. Or maybe it's true. But if it's true I'm thinking that's a terrible mistake. I know trees are very important and my goodness, I'd never intentionally hurt one. But hasn't anyone ever read the stinkin' Giving Tree? Nothing gives that tree more joy than to have her boy climb her branches and swing from her limbs and pick her apples. And while it's just a story, I kind of think that's how trees would tell us they really feel. . . if trees could talk. And I really wish people would leave my little boys and the trees they want to climb, alone. And don't worry. I won't ask you for money should they fall and we have to take them to the ER. But you can bet when they have brain damage from sitting in front of the TV all day because y'all think you know better for my kids, you'll be hearing from me. And people wonder why our kids are getting fatter and fatter. Hello? Every time they try and be active we tell them they might get hurt or kidnapped or some other terrible thing. But that's a rant for another day. . . right now I'm gonna go tell my kids to climb a tree or something really dangerous, like maybe ride their bikes.
posted by Shana # 3:35 PM 
|
|
|
