{Guest Post}
The Great Outdoors
It’s a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining. White, puffy cloud-shapes are floating across the sky, just waiting to be identified. Birds are singing their spring ditties and bopping from limb to limb. Things are blooming.
We should be outside. Yes, we should. But we aren’t. And I assume full responsibility.
I don’t like going outside. This is one of my biggest parental shortcomings. Perhaps one of my biggest human shortcomings.
A Walk on the Wild Side
My Mother Nature
Let me clarify. I appreciate and respect nature. I try to live a green lifestyle (if I forget my bags when I go to the grocery store, I opt for no bags as penance). And though I fear them tremendously, I wholeheartedly support the role that wasps play in our fragile ecosystem. But I don’t like to be outside.
I like to watch the outside. From the inside.
It has always been thus. Always, I was content to color at the kitchen table. Lounge in the recliner with my favorite Judy Blume. Decorate houses for my Barbies all over the living room. And that suited my mom just fine. Probably because I was an only child, and a quiet one, she never once said to me, “Won’t you just go outside already??”
And the Winner is … Barbie
Other friends’ mothers kicked us out occasionally. (Wherein I was stung by my first wasp. Correlation? Probably.)
But I remember having an all right time when forced to play outside. We concocted magical stews with strange plants and garden hoses. We played Army. We chased some boys and they chased us back.
Even still, I always wanted to be inside. Playing with my friend’s grandmother’s hand-me-down jewelry. Tinkering on the piano I wished I could play. Or trimming Barbie’s hair in the sink.
Still I am that way. (Except now I trim Giggles’s hair.)
Why Poop is Good (and Other Lessons)
I do take my kids outside. I laugh with Giggles as he lobs rocks and sticks down the slide. I push Lollipop in the baby swing, because that’s the one where she feels comfortable “going really super-high, Mommy.” We dig in the mulch together, teeter along the limestone pavers, look for cupcakes and crocodiles in the sky.
But all the while, I’m listening for Daddy’s car to pull into the driveway. So he can take over while I cook dinner or clean toilets or dust the ceiling fans or anything.
At least we’re out there, right? (OK, not today, but some days.) At least I’m teaching my children that flowers are best left on the vine. That the cache of acorns in the mulch is probably a squirrel-friend’s snack. That the beetles will eat the dog poop and turn it into dirt.
That’s something, right? Even if, secretly, I’m waiting for the day I can say: “Won’t you kids just go outside already??”
What’s the thing you do for your kids that you really don’t like? Be honest. (My ego needs a boost.)
{I found Fluffy Bunnies the blog this past year, and I’m so glad I did. I always love reading about other mothers and what they think about parenting. She JUST had a baby, so don’t forget to stop over at her blog and tell her congratulations! 🙂
“Fluffy Bunnies is a blog about unburdening the burdens. More specifically, it’s a blog about my own fluffy bunnies — my children — and the endless creative, kind, silly, amazing ways they experience and interpret life”.
About Angie
I’ve grown more fond of the outdoors as time has gone on, but I’m still working on doing so even in weather that I don’t like. I am in awe of people who get outside no matter how the weather is.
.-= beth aka confusedhomemaker´s last blog ..Don’t Eat All the Cupcakes, Please! =-.
I think the only kind of weather I like is a good thunderstorm … which means I get to stay inside! =>
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
Good to see you here, Stacia! I had to laugh at this, because I’m an indoor girl, too. Outdoors=Nature. Nature=Bad. There’s bugs out there, people!! Thanks for the laugh this morning.
.-= TheKitchenWitch´s last blog ..For Love of Harriet =-.
Bugs and I have a love/hate relationship … They love me; I hate them. Not good. Especially during mosquito season. Blech!
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I hated the outdoors when I was little, but now that I’m stuck in an office all day I appreciate it a lot more.
.-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Eyjafjallajokull* erupted in the bathroom at work. =-.
So true! My first job out of college was in a basement cube with no windows. I don’t think I ever enjoyed the outdoors and the fresh air more than when I had that job.
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I’d be fine with the outdoors if there was no such thing as bugs. lol. I think you are probaly not alone. I spent many a day indoors as a kid playing school and sorting my shoes, and yes, playing barbies.
.-= alicia´s last blog ..Friday Flip Offs! =-.
Yay for Barbies! Though, ironically, I’m not sure how I feel about my own daughter playing with Barbies these days … We’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, right?
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
Ah, the desire to hole up inside – now that’s something I can relate to!
With a good book, of course. =>
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
Having lived in a city all my life, I’ve grown into a “prissy type” – outdoor camping trips are not fun to me. They’re the stuff of nightmares – creepy crawlies, lack of indoor plumbing and mosquitoes. Gasp!
I’m glad I’m with someone more outdoorsy – he can take the kid(s) camping while I stay at a hotel with room service. That’s more my style.
.-= Justine´s last blog ..Operation Me, Myself and I =-.
I keep telling my husband that camping trips with the kiddos will be great father-child bonding time … while Mommy stays home (or in a hotel). But he’s not buying it. He says it will be a “family adventure.” We’ll see about that when I spot my first bug!
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
Stacia I never knew you did not like Mother Nature and the great outdoors, you hide it well because you often write such wonderful posts about the times your children spend outdoors having fun. So hats off to you! I love the great outdoors and my next post funnily enough will be all about how I am enjoying doing more of that. Now, things I do that I do not like – well that would have to be swimming, I am a terrible swimmer, I love water, just not being in or no it (once got sick on a 5 minute car ferry crossing the Rhine) but my daughter loves the water, the colder the better.
.-= Aging Mommy´s last blog ..Ode to Toodles =-.
Like you, I like the beach and the lake as long as I’m not in it. Who knows what’s lurking there?? The swimming pool I can handle, but only because I can see the bottom!
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I actually really like to BE outside, I just don’t like PLAYING outside, because with two boys, outside play is messy. And I don’t do dirt. I hate dust and feeling sweaty and icky. So this remains my husbands department. If I’m out with them, I’m generally hovering…that is unless it involves a sprinkler (then I’ve been known to throw it all to abandon and give my neighbours something to laugh at).
.-= Christine LaRocque´s last blog ..On routines, life and strange epiphanies =-.
I don’t do sandboxes … But my kiddos do. This makes backyard time all the more fun, when I pull out all the stops to direct them away from the sandbox. “Pull those flowers off my firebush?? Sure, why not!” =>
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I love your honesty! You know what tired of doing b/c I really don’t want to do it? Playing games with my kids. I mean really? Candyland? Memory? I cringe when my daughter asks me to play. I too cannot wait for them to be old enough to go play outside by themselves!
.-= Rachel @ Mommy Needs a Vacation´s last blog ..The Great Baby Gear Purge =-.
I completely understand! My daughter is into puzzles, but she’s still figuring out which pieces are end pieces and which are interior pieces, as well as how to look at the picture on the box and figure out where a particular piece goes. This means she likes me to sit with her and guide her through it, piece by piece, over and over again. I like that she’s interested and engaged, but sometimes I just want to say, “Again? Really??”
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I don’t like outside either!!! Spring and Summer make me feel either guilty for NOT going out with my boys or less than enthused about going out with my boys!!!
Luckily (maybe I shouldn’t admit that), summer is really, really hot here, so I always have that excuse. I hated heat, even as a child, but my children don’t seem fazed by it. Sort of like getting up before the sun rises … I’m pretty sure I never did that either. =>
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I too am a fan of the Great Indoors, but my kids are obsessive about being outside, even my 1 year old. I’ve learned that it can be easier to just sit out there, allowing them to run amok, then to try to keep them entertained outside. The only times I ever read or get laptop time when they’re awake is outside anymore….
Thankfully, I think my kiddos are just about at that age where I don’t have to watch them climb the slide steps each time to make sure they aren’t going to fall and knock their teeth out or something. (Knock on wood.) And taking the laptop out with me? … There’s an idea!
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I am sooo with you! I’ve even set up a gate on our deck so that I can watch them from the kitchen without worrying about them in the yard…I can’t wait until we get our fence!!! Bugs, mud, dirt, pollen, bugs, snakes, frogs…not into it at all!!!
Oh, we had a snake a few weeks ago … Long after he had departed, I was still using that excuse for staying inside!
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I really don’t care for the outdoors either, especially during the hot summer and cold winter months. I do make it a point to go outside with the kids despite my distaste for the summer heat and bitter winter cold…because I love them.
Thank you so much for this honest post. I feel so much better in knowing that I’m not alone.
Kristi, Live and Love…Out Loud
@TweetingMama
.-= Kristi {at} Live and Love…Out Loud´s last blog ..“OH NO HE DIDN’T!” Tuesday – Men Say Stupid Stuff Sometimes =-.
Yes! This is the same reason I eat peas, which I despise. It’s all for the sake of the kiddos. Here’s to setting a good example and all that. =>
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
Stacia, you are too funny! I had no idea.
As you know from reading 6512 and growing, I love hiking, camping, gardening etc.. with the kids. But I’m not so good at staying inside and doing art projects. The mess! The boredom! The legions of paper that ends up in the trash!
.-= 6512 and growing´s last blog ..The sleepover =-.
I could do arts and crafts all day. Let’s just say, we have enough finger-painted construction paper to send homemade birthday cards for the next seven years or so! My daughter likes to make caterpillars and ladybugs out of those puffy pompom-like balls … How’s that for irony??
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
Finally! Someone admits it! I hate going outside, especially in the summertime. It’s like a million degrees and I get all sweaty and ants and bees are out there. I hate it! But, if I’m being honest, I hate playing with kid toys worse. Barbies? What can you really do with them besides dress and undress them? Toy Cars? So you pretend to drive them around? Baby Toys? Blegh, don’t even get me started.
My saving grace is Legos and Building Blocks. I could play with them for hours. 🙂
.-= Margie´s last blog ..Life Story in Books–Blog Hop and Giveaway =-.
My husband is a huge Lego fan. He’s waiting, literally counting the days, until one of the kiddos starts to show an interest in them. Me? I could never make anything even slightly resembling the creations on the box!
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I count the minutes until I can hand off to Daddy, too!
.-= Mama Zen´s last blog ..Not So Good Housekeeping? =-.
Let’s hear it for dads … and the days they don’t have to work late!
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
Hmmmm, I’d say cleaning off the snow and ice from the car before they leave for school. I have to shovel a path to get there and then scrape the windows. I think I do it so that I feel like they are safer. Goofy reason. And, I freeze my butt off out there.
.-= sheila´s last blog ..“I Didn’t Do It.” – “It’s Not My Fault”Wednesday Fun =-.
Hopefully after all that cold, hard work, you get to come inside and have hot chocolate. =>
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I’m so glad to find a woman who doesn’t have to whisper about playing with Barbies. I loved sorting her shoes. This is a mystery to me now because I am not a shoe grown up. I think it was just that I liked sorthing THINGS. But those Barbie shoes were especially luscious to sort.
The thing I do that I hate? Okay, I don’t like playing hotwheels cars. But I do it. And I look at the clock constantly. Have I given enough time to this to say I’ve been a good mom? Can I go now?
.-= rebecca@altaredspaces´s last blog ..the temple of tadasana =-.
“Have I given enough time to this to say I’ve been a good mom?” Yes! That’s the 20-million-dollar question, isn’t it??
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
I’m with you on the outside thing. Not so much because of the activities or the dirt – more the heat and the neighbor’s kids – who always manage to show up when we head out, while their mother magically disappears to accomplish something inside figuring I’ll keep an eye on all of them.
That. That makes me hate the outside.
.-= Ash´s last blog ..W.W. – Bottle of white, bottle of red? =-.
Wow, I don’t think I’d have the nerve to do that. Pretty gutsy. Plus, all the kids around us are teenagers. What I wouldn’t give for one of them to pop over and offer to babysit for a little while! =>
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
Judy Blume and Barbies? I think we might just be kindred spirits.
I’ve ALWAYS been an indoor kinda girl, and still am at heart. Though it’s strangely hard for me to play Barbies with my girls now. I’m not sure what happened…
I’m the same way. My daughter’s not into Barbies yet, and I’m not sure I want her to be … Though I hear they’re making a Computer Engineer Barbie. That one I could probably get behind. =>
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
Thanks, Angie, for having me over. I loved visiting your circus for the day! =>
.-= Stacia´s last blog ..I Think I Can =-.
Giving my kids a bath and tucking them in to bed is something I would rather avoid. I am lucky that my husband can do this most nights, but when he can’t? I stall and stall and stall. Yes, I love having them in bed, but getting them there? It requires energy and I just don’t have energy. Still, I do it. If I have to, that is.
.-= Amber´s last blog ..In Case You Don’t Recognize Me, I’ll Be Wearing Purple =-.
Parties. I hate planning and executing parties, but I didn’t have them much as a kid, and I felt left out because of that, so I’m making a huge effort to make sure that they remembered having birthday parties.
.-= statia´s last blog ..Mama Baby Taxi =-.
I like being outside only if the temperature is agreeable. We are bracing for second summer in Phoenix where highs can be up to 120 degrees. The whole city seems as if it hibernates between June and October. My daughter enjoys the outdoors, but her mommy can’t handle the heat. I’d rather be inside, typing on my computer or reading a good book.
Guiltily, that is me, also.
Oh, I can relate to this so well. I have never been an outdoor kind of person either, and I am only beginning to try to be, because my husband and son would live outdoors if they could. I’ve always thought of dirt, grass, rocks, bugs, etc. as “dirty” and while other kids would just frolick in the grass I would be worried about hidden poop and insects. We are surrounded by nature now, which I appreciate. I too will happily shove my son in my husband’s direction so they can play outdoors while I find excuses to stay inside. But I am quite proud of myself on days that I volunteer go outside with my son. And then I realize how wonderful it feels to be in the sun and to breathe the fresh air.
.-= Only You´s last blog ..Writer’s Workshop: If you get hungry, steam the dung until it’s hot and soft and ready to eat…an essay on cross-cultural miscommunication =-.
King: How did you say goodbye?My question: “Why did you say goiyedb?”Shot man, just grab the kid and hoof it over to the American Embassy.WV: “bintegg” My perverse AI theory of word verification generation remains plausible, I see…