As parents, we have hopes for what our children will be when they grow up. Some hope for their children to have unbridled success in high paying jobs like doctors or engineers, or maybe even president … though I can’t say I would be too proud of raising a politician.
Our hopes are smaller, much more simple things. I want them to love all things green and growing. To care for and respect all creatures whether they have feathers, scales, or fur. I hope that they are unafraid to work hard, make mistakes, or try something new. And that they know saving up for a dream is worth it no matter how long it takes. I want them to know how to do things. I hope they will be strong men with rough hands and big hearts. Above all we want them to grow into decent human beings.
I knew from when Little J proudly presented me with a carefully selected rock from the driveway, and when Little O picked his first wild violet this spring, and how they both are mesmerized by the chickens that we have a really great opportunity for showing these two little fellas the beauty of the world. I want to be sure we nurture this born-in appreciation for nature in hopes that it will be a lifelong love affair.
Boy, do I have plans! Next year they are each going to get a large pot to grow whatever their little hearts desire. They each have their own little watering can and they can water their mini garden when I water my flowers on the porch. Our garden center has some neat little figures and decorations for tiny gardening that I think they will enjoy … but it might just end up being a hot wheels car or a dinosaur. I’ve also been thinking about a children’s garden, and Matt is working up plans for an upgraded swing set complete with a climbing wall. They can even help gather eggs.
But right now, we go outside and watch the robins. They are 1-1/2 after all and we don’t have any expectations about what will occur on our trips to the yard. We know for sure they will run straight for the chickens and watch them for a long time, and they have to kick the tires on the car. There may even be a wagon ride or swinging. Sometimes we spend time in the garden; I love watching them pick a weed here and there and put it in the bucket to go to the chickens. They play in the dirt, fall down, run, and swing. Right now we watch them grow. We watch them wonder at the grass and the tiny black fly buzzing by, and appreciate the tiniest things that we as adults may find annoying. They don’t see grass as simply something to be cut or a fly just something to swat.
They see something amazing.
I hope we can help keep it that way.
Rachel is a gardener, beekeeper, wife & mother of three wild and crazy boys, and lover of all things homesteading. Visit greenpromisegrows.com to see more!
