Tonight, we had a sudden heavy rainshower move through our area. It lasted maybe 30 minutes. My soon-to-be 5 yo daughter was already changed into her nightgown, getting ready for bed. I stepped out on our front porch to see the rain and she wanted to come out there with me. We watched the rain falling for a few minutes and then she wanted to step off the porch into the rain for just a second. I was about to say no, you'll get wet...but then thought better of it. Instead I grabbed her raincoat from inside, put it on her, and let her run around the front yard to her heart's content, in just her nightgown, raincoat, and bare feet. Laughing and giggling all the way. After about 20 minutes she was ready to come back in, tired, breathless and happy. She had to change into some drier pjs and then was in bed ready for stories. She said to me, "Thanks Mommy for letting me play in the rain. This was the best day ever!" (of course, she says that almost every day!)
So what are some of the best, most fun, most worthwhile spur-of-the-moment things you have done with your kids, or have allowed them to do? :)
You can bet she will remember that for a long time... and also let HER kids do that, too...
Sometimes those are the best memories!
One of the cutest pictures I have of my son is him standing in our muddy yard with half melted snow and mud all over his face. We had a blizzard and the five foot drift in my front yard was still about a foot high, even with temps in the 50s. While I was sweeping all of the sand out of the garage, my son was playing in the snow. Then he had the bright idea to start digging in the mud. He was up to his knees in mud, mud was all over his hands, and he started rubbing it on his face. I came out of the garage and discovered what he was into. At that point it was too late to try to stop him, so I just told him to have fun and have a mud bath. He stayed out in the mud for over an hour and had a blast! He told me I was the bestest funnest mommy. He still talks about that and it was over a year ago.
I love that story! I did the same with my kids and let them out in the rain to run and play. They love things like that and always remember and bring it up every shower we get :) Sometimes if it is really hot, I ask one of my older 2 to go out in the lawn and pick up a piece of 'trash' I see and throw it away .. only I turn on the hose and soak them by the time they realize what is happening. They laugh sooooo hard and run around the tree taunting me to come get them. One time, I even went down the slip n slide just to 'show my kids how to use it'..... They laughed so hard and talk about it to this day. Of course, they mostly talk about it and tell everyone because that is how I ended up needing knee surgery but it was still a fun running joke ;;)
Putting kids to bed, only to hear fantastic fireworks going on outside, of course I had to say "Run! Get out of bed! Out to the yard to watch fireworks!" Our neighbors always buy the good ones!
Such a sweet story! I think we tend to say "no" without thinking of why we are saying it all too often. You've given her a memory to treasure for a lifetime. We had a rain shower here too (for the first time in a month), my 15 mo old and I just sat on the porch swing and enjoyed the break in the heat and the rain. We'll all sleep well tonight!
Letting my 14 year old skateboard the trash can to the curb last night probably doesn't quite stand up to your story.... but at 14, he is less spontaneous than when he was younger (and more concerned with his hair). LOL
I did call him outside a few weeks ago late at night though. I had gone out with the dog for her nightly business and turned on the flood/porch lights on either side of the garage so I could toss something in the outside bin while I was out there. Well, the lights lit up a HUGE spider building its web from the corner of the house strung all the way up to this really tall oak tree across the driveway. So I called him outside to come watch.
It was one of those spiders that makes a round web, and he/she was just at the part where it runs around in big loops connecting all the "straight" web strings. It was amazing to watch. It was SO FAST.
It was pretty cool... we stood there and watched it together for several minutes.
Then, last night (after he had skateboarded the big trash can) he was skateboarding with the recycle bin to the curb, and he went out wide on the driveway. Apparently a spider (the same one??) was in the middle of building its web (they do this nightly and take them down before morning--its pretty cool actually)--and it had drifted a string of web from the far corner of the house across the drive way and was climbing up another piece of web to get height on it (or something). Anyway... I heard a screech and a crash. Went outside, and son was sprawled on the ground, the recycle bin was half dumped on the driveway, and he is desperately brushing his shoulders and arms trying to get something off him. I ask him if he's ok, and while he tries to explain he "ran into" a web, I WALK INTO IT. EEK!!! The spider was HUGE.
So we stood out there for a minute again... the long piece of webbing must have been 30 feet long!
Sweet story! Yes is such a great word sometimes! My daughter is the same age as yours (5 in Oct.) and today we made sidewalk paint (honestly, the BEST stuff EVER!) and spent most of the evening outside having "a art contest" and blowing bubbles. We painted balloons, cats, rainbows, Earth, the Sun, aliens, our names, etc. to cover most of the patio. It's bright, vibrant, fun! She was a disgusting, filthy, colorful mess but she loved it!
I love your story!!! When my son was two he started splashing in puddles with his gym shoes on and got completely wet. But he was so joyful, I just couldn't stop him. After that, I got him rain boats and he's been splashing ever since.
Aww, how wonderful! :)
Am not that spontaneous...actually my husband complains I overthink :)
The best I can think of is almost one yr ago, when I was flying with my daughter (then 11 months) half way around the world. It was her in-flight meal time and I was trying my best to feed her baby food, tried giving her yogurt, tried bread, tried crumbled cookies, she wouldn't have it. Nothing. Nada. I was close to having a panic attack.
Then they served the passengers with meals. I was about to ask them to hold mine and serve a bit later after trying to put her to sleep, when suddenly I decided to try something. I opened my meal and offered her my food (spicy, hot, a little greasy). She gobbled up about half of it. The lady sitting next to me was watching with such amusement. I felt so relieved then! :)
Sounds like an amazing moment! Thanks for sharing it!
We just bought a house with a pool and soon after we moved in the kids wanted to swim and I said JUMP IN! We all jumped in fully clothed and it was hysterical! I am not spontaneous so the kids were so shocked. Lots of laughing! Good times!
