Fortunately, Ottawa is a very friendly kid city. I've mentioned a few of my fave ideas on this blog:
1. Visiting the animals at the experimental farm.
2. Going for a hike in Gatineau Park or the green belt .
3. Going on a daddy-daughter date when Glosette Girl is out for the evening.
But sometimes (perhaps, subconsciously, to make up for the times when I’ve been a boring-responsible-adult-busybody), I like to surprise Margot and work a little harder for something extra fun.
This past weekend I noticed a horse show was being held at Wesley Clover Parks in the west end. So Glosette Girl and I bundled Margot into the car and spent an hour watching horses jump over various obstacles.
It sounds…very aristocratic and almost silly but if you’ve ever tried horseback riding you’ll seriously appreciate the skill and guts of the riders (all of whom were women under the age of 20). Because it was pouring rain, there weren’t too many spectators but the crowd that did show up (all 10 of us) cheered and clapped the competitors on. Margot certainly loved it.
Life is so busy for us parents. It is very tempting to let Señor Netflix take over when it comes to entertaining our children. We may even fool ourselves into believing that’s all they want.
But we’re wrong.
I bet the riders lived having Margot and you guys cheer them on.
ReplyDeleteI think balance is key. We limit Asher's screentime intake now (we really slipped into a bad pattern for awhile), but I also don't feel the need to fill his every waking moment with stimulating excursions or activities to stave of his boredom. I firmly believe a little boredom is critical to kids developing their imaginations - even if they whine about it a bit ;)
ReplyDeleteThat said, I think most busy families I know need to take a page out of your book and just DO more together as a family in general that doesn't involve schedules.