Sense of Fun

We were hit with another bout of snow here today, even though it's supposed to be Spring (what's up with that Mother Nature huh?), so that meant trading the boy's rain boots for his winter boots again! Since he loves the outdoors, no matter what the weather, we have to go outside almost every day. Rain, shine, or snow.

With snow falling, going outside was a good way to kill two birds with one stone, I could shovel my driveway and he could 'help'. He has his own shovel and he likes to push the snow around. Normally I give him a little area to 'clear' on his own, while I get on with the rest of the driveway, and he's happy, and everything gets accomplished. Today, however, that was not the plan. Or not his plan anyway. While I was trying to shovel in neat, orderly horizontal lines, the prescribed method of snow removal on my street, the boy was having fun tearing up and down the driveway shovelling in great big vertical strips, missing parts, leaving snow where I had already cleared, but having a grand old time while doing it. This meant that nice clear snow had foot prints in it and parts I'd already cleared had snow on them again.

I started to get annoyed, and then realized that he was just having fun. It wasn't nasty or naughty, he was simply having fun, and enjoying doing just what he wanted, how he wanted. A very toddler attitude. What does it matter if I shovel in straight lines or have fun running up and down chasing the boy and clearing the snow at the same time? If the job gets done, that's the important thing, and it's way more fun to try and do things the toddler way!

Granted, there are days when things need to get done, and we can't stretch a 15 minute job to 30 or 35 minutes just to make it more 'fun' and less structured. But in general, where's the harm in having fun while we shovel snow, or clean the house, or make dinner.

I think we should all try and remember this, and take on this attitude to be more like a toddler. That doesn't mean when can have a fit when we don't get our way, or run around dressed in a mis-mash of clothes that we picked out for ourselves, or take an afternoon nap (who am I kidding, if you get the chance for a nap, take it!). But try and make everything you do fun and enjoyable, and that just might help make up for having to dig out from a spring snowstorm.