If you've ever felt like an inadequate parent, READ THIS ARTICLE.
I think it's fantastic.
We've done some incredible things with our boys. Hawaii and Israel come to mind. But our trips to Hawaii have been incredible blessings funded, in large part, by my parents. Our trip to Israel was made possible, mostly, by some almost miraculous circumstances. And that trip, I'll admit, had me a little nervous. A biblical and historical tour isn't exactly something your average seven and four-year-old would enjoy. Our kids, however, were amazing. Ancient ruins became their playground. Israeli nature was, quite literally, their backyard for 12 days.
We're not rich--not by our own society's standards. Sometimes we have to say, "Let's wait until that movie goes to the dollar theater." And sometimes we actually can't go out to dinner. (Absurd thoughts for most of the world's population but not so absurd for Americans.) The kids have been to Disneyland, Sea World, and Knott's Berry Farm. But, as of now, it isn't likely that they'll ever experience the plethora of theme parks that Orlando has to offer. More world travel is probably not in their childish futures--although if any kids were cut out for it, it'd be them.
I don't entertain them all day long.
The other day it was just warm enough outside for my youngest to play--by himself--for more than an hour while I helped his brother with homework. Just a five-year-old and his old golden retriever, enjoying the grass and the sticks.
They watch TV. So did I. They play outside. In the front yard, even. They experience life in a way that could bring about their demise--climbing trees, scraping knees, blasting down the street on their bikes, scaling walls, riding snowboards and surfing. I don't want to look back on their little lives and think, "We were so busy just trying to keep them alive that we forgot to let them live."
We try to let them create their own magic. The article that I linked to sums up, ever so perfectly, why that is of the utmost importance.
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