The 4yo sleepover was okay except for the behavior of largely my own 4yo, who kicked the visiting friend at bed time and had an emotional shoot-out in the morning after breakfast. It's easy to watch Mr. Man get overstimulated by his own emotions and freak out when he doesn't have a largely private, quiet area to unwind. I have a hard time being concerned that Mr. Man isolates too much, because I enjoy isolation and quiet time, too. Nonetheless, the return to preschool next week after a summer of quiet days alone with my wife should be an interesting transition...
Visiting child goes home and Mr. Man and I spend some time together in the garden, retreat from the sun for lunch and enjoy quiet time doing independent stuff (he playing and me making pickles). We're in adjoining rooms and he has built a crazy triple-decker cart/fire engine that is being pulled by cricket (another wooden pull toy). Mr. Man is playing quietly and we haven't said much to each other in a few minutes until he asks me to check out the crazy triple-decker moving stack. I do and go on with my pickle-making, when out of the blue, Mr. Man says,
"If you told me you like life, I would be happy."
I made him repeat it to be sure I heard him clearly.
I read little, if anything, for personal pleasure and have surely read a mere drop in the bucket of the pagan canon, but it sure seems to me like someone should share great insights about the Mystery of parenting, children and families. Things happen (statements, emotions, interactions, activities) and they're part of a bigger picture that gets lost in the minutiae of daily work. I think parents get bogged down by the practical worries of raising a healthy, well-developed child. Trusting the Mystery, allows parenting to be more intuitive, creative and fun. It's time for less studying child development and behavioral literature and more big picture reflection and listening to the hum of our family life.
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