It has been awhile since I have posted. There is actually a wonderful reason for this. We did the best thing for a family that wants to appreciate nature and be more environmentally sound, we went and lived in a rustic cabin for the summer. This meant no television, no internet, no clothes dryer. It meant spending time together instead of spending time in the same room while one or both of the adults stared at an Iphone, a computer, or some other gadget. And for our beautiful Eowyn, who is now seven months old, it meant a summer of amazing experiences.
There is nothing like watching your child start to really interact with the world. As any mother knows, the age around six months is just incredibly exciting. They learn to sit, they talk up a storm, they start having interactive play, and they learn how to move themselves from place to place. Eowyn did all these things while we were hiding from the real world. She talks up a storm to anyone who will listen, she sits up by herself, she hands me things and then wants them back, she shakes her rattles in time with me, and she moves. A mixture of crawling, rolling, scooting, and what Zack and I have affectionately termed flumping gets her where she wants to go. Flumping, of course, is a push up where at the apex of up she thrusts herself forward by her legs and nose dives toward the floor. Awkward and sometimes painful it still results in quite a bit of forward movement, which is all she wants right now. And most of all she spent the greater part of her summer outside.
And this, I think, is the best way to foster a love of the world in any child. Get them out in it! Eowyn rolled around in the dirt and she sat on horses and chewed their manes while giggling excitedly. She also went for walks to see the sheep, the dogs, and anything else that caught her fancy. She helped hang clothes out on the line to dry which she enjoyed quite a bit although it certainly did not make it go any faster for the person hanging the clothes! And scariest of all for some parents is that she experienced her world tactilely. Yes, this means she ate grass. She not only ate it, but joyfully smeared it all over herself, threw it in the air, and offered some to anyone passing by her. And she did not die. In fact, she didn't even get sick. I didn't try to keep her on a freshly laundered, pristine blanket all the time. While I taught riding lesson she sat and tasted her world. And she loved it! Sure, she occasionally actually swallowed a small bit of grass. And yes, it is true that she did not avoid getting a few random bug bites. But seeing the absolute joy on her face as she explored was worth it. The dogs always kept her good company, happily laying or rolling in that same grass that Eowyn was shoving in her mouth by the fistful. I have rarely experienced the contentment that came with watching my daughter love nature even at her young age. So my advice is get outside with your baby, child, loved one and really experience the world. Get away from the internet and other gadgets. And most of all, let them eat grass. It rarely hurts them and the joy that they get from truly being in nature and not just looking at it will awe you.
