Simplicity for Children

It's ironic that immediately following my last post on ways to keep my child entertained and get us out of the house, I'm thinking a lot today about simplicity and how to foster it in my child's life. But I've been reading a chapter of "Mitten Strings for God" every morning and was so convicted today as she talked about quiet and simplicity when it comes to parenting.

I was thinking today that my motivation is skewed in a lot of ways.

Taking yesterday's post for instance: I know that as a 1-year old, Leta does not need to be entertained by going to fun places every day. I think I like the idea of doing that because I don't love being in the house all day and would rather be around people doing things. But I want Leta to enjoy the simple joys in life as she grows up, like I did as a kid- having an entire day open to do whatever you wanted- play make-believe, draw, create things, appreciate the gifts of nature at your fingertips. Not that fun outings aren't great, I just don't want to rush around trying to do them everyday anymore because that isn't the model I want Leta to learn from.

Another example- it's Leta's birthday this weekend and I've been working on it for a few weeks now- making decorations, figuring out food, painting the basement so it makes a more conducive playroom (which I was of course going to do anyways, but the Birthday party has become my personal deadline). But in reality, is Leta going to even notice these things- probably not. If I want her to grow up finding joy in the everday, why make celebrations such an elaborate (read "stressful") affair?

So, here are some ways I've been thinking about creating a simpler life for Leta and our little family:

• Less big outings, more time spent on simple walks, playing with toys, appreciating the seasons


• Less toys that make tons of noise - I use the excuse that she's learning from electronic toys, but can't she just as easily learn from books and imaginative play? Maybe we need a bit more silence around here. For those of you interested in simpler toys- anything by "Melissa & Doug" is amazing! The brand is all about imaginative play and old fashioned learning- most are handmade out of wood. They're pretty pricey, but here's my little secret: if you keep an eye out, they often turn up at the Northgate Ross for cheaper!


• Not make everything such a huge production- Birthday parties, holidays. I LOVE decorating, throwing parties, etc... so I won't stop doing that. And I grew up with Birthdays as a huge deal- and I LOVED that! But once it gets to be so stressful that it's overshadowing the daily joy available in life, that's when I want to stop & re-focus my priorities.


• Carve out more time for our little family - less TV watching and projects to complete.

How about you? How do you foster simplicity in your home?