Lately, whether I’m scrolling my Instagram news feed or reading articles that pop up on Facebook, I find myself faced with the same phrase relating to raising children:
Let them be little.
Of course, on first glance, you likely think to yourself, “Of course I’m letting him or her or them, , be little! They are little, that’s how they’re treated!”
But if you think about it, how often are we little our children just be, without making them fall victim to the ins and outs of our overly scheduled, over-packed days?
I’ll use myself as an example. As a business owner and very busy mom, I find that most of my days are way too segmented and routine. A typical week day in my world goes a little something like this:
Wake-up
Rush to get out of the house
School drop-off
Work, work, work.
School pick-up
Play date, appointment, dinner time.
Bath, books, bed.
With no time for anything else.
I know this sounds like your home, too.
And then the weekend comes, where things are a little more laid back. Less of a schedule to follow, less of a routine to abide by. That’s when I realize life feels better. My daughter, my sweet, innocent, desperate to play and learn and climb, seems, happier.
Why? Because I’m letting her be little.
You see, when we’re subjecting children to our timelines, our rules, and what works best for us, we’re taking away the innate ability to play freely, discover, and use their imagination for fun. When we’re over-packing our children’s schedules with “things to do,” as opposed to teaching them how to relax and make their own fun – we’re setting them up to be little humans with a desperate need to find action, anywhere and everywhere.
As of late, we’ve gone back to basics in my house, where unscheduled play has now made its way back into our daily lives – and here is my advice on how you can, too!
3. Let your house get messy.
Trust me, I know that time between school pick-up and bedtime can feel like a hectic, harried, eternity without an actual plan. You may have even spent the day straightening up your home and would want nothing more than to keep it neat – for once. But try this – an afternoon in your family room. Break out the toys, the crayons, the games – or break open your patio doors, and let your child be. Let their imagination run wild. Let them run wild, supervised, of course.
2. Keep playdates to a minimum.
No one loves playdates more than this gal, because it’s an opportunity in my day to vent to my mommy friends about all that’s going on in mommy world. But put yourself in your child’s shoes. Would you want to leave a full day of work, each day, only to have to go and socialize with other people for an extended period of time in an environment that is not your own? No way! Your child just spent 6-8 hours abiding by school rules, using their brain, and socializing with the people around them – maybe they, too, feel the need to relax and disconnect a bit.
1. Follow your little’s lead.
Once in a while, and definitely not all the time. But every so often, ask your child what they want to do. Let them do it, even if it means allowing your two-year-old to cover your couch in stickers like mine did yesterday while I was preparing dinner. Something about this made her feel good, and she couldn’t stop giggling – and all it took was 3 extra minutes of my time to peel the tiny Minnie Mouse stickers from my family room couch.
And if all else fails, head to the park. Thank goodness for parks.