Wild Child

So...since I post only when the mood strikes rather than by some arbitrary "rule", it has been awhile since the last post (again!). The next one might be in another six months or it might be tomorrow. Oh the excitement!! ;)

In the interest of being real and genuine and all of that I wanted to clarify the fact that my social media accounts are not entirely representative of my entire life as the parent of a toddler (never mind as the parent of a teenager, the wife of a business owner and the list goes on and on) This is not intentional to throw you off or in an effort to pretend my life is anything other than what it is. While obviously some aspects of life are private (and should be!) and some other things don't seem particularly interesting to warrant sharing, there is also the reality of judgement. While I was once so concerned about the opinions of others, I no longer feel that what others think of me is my business. I am not living my life to be liked by some random mom judger and I am no longer concerned with having an opinion or a life that in some way conflicts with the "norm" (In all honesty, if most of what I see on social media or in the lives of the rich and famous is the norm, I'm completely content with being the odd one out).

With regards to my social media and the parenting of a toddler, you will often see photos of our little adventures together. Ruby and I like to get out and see new things and interact with friends and with the world. What you might not see as much of is the time we spend playing at home and this is for two reasons: 1. for the sake of your interest and 2. she is usually naked!

Here is the deal. It's fun to dress her in cute clothes (when she lets me) and do her hair and all of that, but that's not real life. She's a wild child at heart and she prefers to be naked, she requests for her hair to be "wild" and her favourite activities involve sand, rocks, water and sticks. I think that in a time when many kids spend too much time staring at a screen (I won't pretend that she doesn't watch tv or play games on the iPad, but it's limited), I want to encourage real play. I want her to learn cause and effect through real life experience and to create her own fun through open ended play and loose parts...where the possibilities are endless! I want her to get dirty and make memories. I want her to learn in her own way, rather than in a way that is decided by someone else (myself included). Do I sometimes wish that she would just sit and play with her cute little kitchen with all of its wooden accessories? Yes! At the same time, I know that coming up with her own games and her own play will serve her well (even when it's too messy!). I'm not one for mess and my imaginary skills are seriously lacking, but she is teaching me in her own way to let it go a bit and to trust the process.

So, when you see my photos of a well dressed toddler with her hair in a cute little bun walking around the market, just know that when we got home she ripped the bun out, took all of her clothes off and found some dirt to play in.