I can’t believe I am writing the last post of the series! From 1st April, I have been writing one post a day on the Things that really matter to Children with titles in an alphabetical series. It’s the last post today:
The Zest of Childhood: Let’s keep it alive in our Children!
Six years ago, in 2013 as a new mom, this was what I wrote on my blog: Motherhood: Where God meets Man. Six years later, in 2025, my children would have entered their tweens. They would no longer be little children turning home upside down (hopefully!). Wonder what I would be writing then, perhaps about middle school issues and approaching puberty and teenage! I can foresee a house where the children are going to prefer to talking to their friends than bothering me to play with their toy cars. The chaos I see all around are going to be replaced by quietude one day. Six years might have seemed far in 2013, but now I know the next six years and then six more years are going to zoom like that.
Well, when I look into my future, I feel blessed for all the mess around me now. And all of us would!
- Did we raise them well?
- Did we impart them good habits and manners?
- Did we be with them enough?
- Did we play with them enough?
- Did we read enough books to them?
- Did we allow them to be children enough?
- Can we have done something better during their childhood?
We are going to ask ourselves these inevitable questions tomorrow! And you know what to do today if you want happy answers for all of them from you one day!
Let the vessels stink in the sink for two days. Let the toys lie scattered all around. Let the clothes remain on the chairs for months. Let’s use Swiggy on tired days. Let’s use up all our sick, casual and annual leaves. Let’s skip bathing on some Saturdays. Let us cuddle up in the bed till ten on Sunday mornings.
What a bunch of bad advice, I know!
But, lately I’ve realized that sometimes in life it is alright to give up rules and orders if it can make more time for us to be with our children. Being strict disciplinarians can only rob us of our zest for lives and our children’s zest of childhood.
Embrace their childhood, for they are going to be children for only a handful of years. But for all the years they are going to be adults, it is this handful of childhood years that shall make the foundation – keep their childhood alive today and they will know how to keep their adultselves alive tomorrow.
Here are all my posts in this series, from A to Z. Each will tell you the same thing again and again – to keep the zest of childhood alive in our children – because it is all about the things that really matter to children!
Happy childhood to all our children!!!
The Art of Emphasizing Art to Children
Boredom in Children: How we handle a bored Child matters!
Children’s Collectibles: How Collectibles matter to Children!
DIY: How Do-It-Yourself matters to Children?
Experience Vs. Education: What do you think matters to Children?
Family Time: What it means to Children, matters!
Gender Identity and Roles: How Children perceive being a Boy or a Girl
Humour: Seeing Humour in Children – where it belongs to!
Independent Play: Allowing Children to do their Work
Junk: The Secret Ingredient of our Little Inventors!
Knowledge: What should Children Know?
Love: What Ultimately Matters to Children!
Mess: The Mandatory Identity of a Home with Kids
Nature: Nurturing our child’s bond with Nature
Originality: Preserving your Child’s Originality against all Norms
(Grand)Parents: Shoulders to fall back for Parents and Children
Questions: Children build their first world from our Answers!
Reading Aloud: The World, Books take Children to!
Screen Time: How de we help before it matters too much to Children?
Tantrums: It’s acknowledgment not reformation that matters to children
Uncanny Intuition of your Child: Why not to Dismiss it!
Voice of Music: Creating Musically Enriched Lives for our Children
The Woods are lovely, dark & deep; Let’s put our Promises away to Sleep
Xennials’ and Millennials’ Parenting: What matters to Children of Gen Alpha?
Yelp!: Do we hear what matters to Children with Health Impairments & Disabilities?
The Zest of Childhood: Let’s keep it alive in our Children!
Header Image Courtesy – Parents.com
It was a really nice series Nandini, I look forward to your next one. he he, I do like the advice of not having many rules. Makes life a lot simpler 🙂
Much much thanks Vinay. Though we caught up late in the series, all your written comments added a spark in my days. I have so many comments pending to be replied. I am just back after a hibernation after the series. Please do come back often. Yes, yes, it is better to be frugal in making rules 🙂
Well done Nandhini I just got time to read this now. I was travelling on personal matter when I commented on your FB post Let children be children is a very sound advise in fact If children remain as children even when they become adults it would be even better.
Thanks for your thoughtful interactions throughout the series. Do keep in touch with the blog 🙂
Let the kids be- This is what parents fail to do now
I am not sure if we can make a generalised statement as this. There have been and are all kinds of parents in every generation. However, ‘let kids be’ feels a nice thing to hear. Thanks for your visit Rakhi, please come back often.
Well framed questions nandini.. something which I usually ask myself, and yes sometimes being guilt ridden too ..
Thank Akhila. I can relate the guilt. But we need reminders now and them to get back to mindful living. Thanks for dropping by. Do visit the blog often 😉
You are right.. sometimes reminders are needed for all of us and you jumped right into that.. of course accepting your invitation to drop by your blog..😍😍
Ha! 😃