Gentle Parenting and Nature
This morning the little one and I enjoyed a good couple of hours in the park till lunch.
The days recently with her have been hard, her usual placid nature has been replaced with a strong will to assert herself and her wishes in the most shouty way she can, whilst also clinging onto me for dear life most of the time, making even doing a little work difficult for me...it has lead to frustration for the both of us...as this cannot happen all of the time all day and she so takes everything deeply into herself.
I have come to think this is not just her personality and a developmental milestone but the effect of her brother and sister now being back at school...she just needs that contact and reassurance I’m not going anywhere too. All day and all night.
The only time she does not want to be held in my arms 24/7 is in Nature.....
No, in nature she is as free as a bird, and wants to be - to the point I have to chase after her when we need to come home to eat for example. No games, distractions or anything I have ever used in my years of looking after children (others and my own) works, and I don’t blame her...because Nature is pretty awesome! Today her solution to stay out instead of going home for lunch was ‘a sandwich from that lady there’ A lady who might I add was sat quite happily enjoying her packed lunch on a bench 😂.
I think it’s a picnic lunch for us tomorrow then! 😊 we saw a couple of lovely horses today as well some blossom too the first I’ve seen yet!
We will be slowly and gently working on her feelings and supporting them over the next couple of weeks! Nature is such a balm though and just as it helps us as adults regulate our feelings and take our mind off things it also helps children too! I’ll let you know how we go. How is everyone else doing?
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