With the daily routine of being an adult always in the way, sometimes it’s hard to remember the value of being a kid. However, when we take time out of our adult life to knock 20-50 years off our lives, we can get a great new perspective and connect with our kids.
That’s just what we did to ring in 2012.
We’ve been waiting for snow this late fall and winter and so far, nada. The kids are finally getting Christmas and my daughter was fully perplexed on how Christmas could be over and I’d put away the decorations when we haven’t had any snow yet. Rarely do we have a Christmas with snow here in Seattle, but we’ve usually had some white stuff by now.
Daddy shows Sweetness how it's done.
I figured it was high time we put the snow gear to a workout yesterday, the first day of 2012.
We loaded the kids and all their coats, snow pants, hats, gloves, boots and other various paraphernalia (including a plastic toboggan) into the car and headed for the local ski resort. The idea was the kids would have plenty of fun just playing around in the snow around the parking lot. And we were right.
Despite the balmy 54-degree first day of the year in Seattle, it was a nippy 27 degrees at Stevens Pass and much colder if you counted the wind. We lucked out and got a prime spot in the back corner of the parking lot, right next to a gently-sloping pile of snow plowed from the lot. After the initial shock of the cold, the kids became very curious about this red piece of plastic we pulled out of the back of the SUV.
Sweetness goes it alone.
Hubby jumped on the toboggan and demonstrated the appropriate huge grin and “weeeeee” required when mastering a snow hill.
Sweetness was hooked. After a few runs with Daddy, she convinced Mr. Man to make a go for it, which he insisted on doing with Mommy.
In minutes we were all preschoolers giggling and hollering as we took turns on the slope.
The kids lasted about 30 to 45 minutes before they started getting cold (the wind was blowing snow around and that got pretty upsetting for little Mr. Man as snow got in his eyes) and asking to go home. But the length of time really doesn’t matter.
Mommy and Sweetness hit the slope.
It was fun for us all and I giggled harder than I have in a long time. And the kids have been in great moods, getting along and being on their best behavior ever since. They feel connected.
Mommy and Mr. Man give it a whirl.
We definitely need to plan an overnight a trip to a wintery place in the next couple of months so we can do this in short spurts all day, warming warm up in the hotel between outdoor playtimes.
My Mom Tip for this week is to take time to be a kid with your kids, whether you decide to go tobogganing, bike riding, playing at a playground, or just playing an imaginary game of their choice in the backyard. You’ll have a great time and you’ll make a wonderful connection.
