April Surprises and Priorities

Rain + kids = so much fun!

I don’t know about you, but some of our favorite memories of raising our kids come from those rainy days when there was no lightning, just tons of big, fat, juicy raindrops and three kids with umbrellas and rain boots.

Living in Florida, we had surprise afternoons of rain that were perfect for these kinds of adventures. They would play on the sidewalk, building dams and splashing through any and all puddles that they could find–my fearless explorers.

That these times were so memorable had something to do with the element of surprise and spur of the moment freedom. They involved no electronics or planning–they could just go outside and play. I have learned so much from our kids, and one of the most important lessons was the importance of going with the flow and living with a bit of spontaneity, seizing the day for all it is worth.

As much comfort as we gain from plans and planners, don’t lose site of the goal. One of my favorite quotes about raising kids and having fun came from the famous baseball player, Harmon Killebrew:

“My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard.
Mother would come out and say, ‘You're tearing up the grass.’
‘We're not raising grass,’ Dad would reply. ‘We're raising boys.’”