When my son was 6 years old, every weekend he played with several other kids in the neighborhood, and they were all either at our house, their houses or outside riding bikes or throwing balls around. One weekend all the kids were not around, and my son moped around bored, so he asked “Mommy, can you play with me?”
Normally, I’d bring out board games, but it had just rained and I noticed a lot of snails emerging from the woods looking for drier land. So, I thought we’d do something I used to do when I was little, and I asked him: “Wanna go snail hunting?”
He enthusiastically replied “YES!!” and we proceeded to take a bucket outside, and searched through the grass and plants for as many snails as we could find. Afterward, we took photos to gross out Grandma, of course. Then, we chose a spot to release them to their new home. We counted each one, assigned them to a “family,” and we named them. We had “hunted” 158 Mommy, Daddy, Teenager and Baby snails. We had a blast.
That night, when I put him to bed, I could see how special he thought the day was, and when I tucked him in, he said “Mommy, I love you so much!” It was an amazing day, and one neither of us has forgotten. So, moms, when your kids ask you to play with them, take the opportunity to create beautiful memories they can hang onto long after we’re gone.
Sandra
We Turned a Boring Day Into a Lifetime Memory