The Lawyer Mama becomes ... the Outdoorsy Mama?
I have never been an "outdoorsy" person. Despite growing up in rural northern Michigan (with nearby gorgeous scenery like this), I preferred being inside - reading books or singing on an imaginary stage or writing poems. Growing up, I don't recall ever going on a hike, although I do remember getting lost in the woods at a friend's house once, and that was enough to reinforce my indoor proclivities.
But in the last year, I'm happy to say that this has changed. It started during the summer that our house was being built and we lived in the "tiny condo" (a two-bedroom apartment with almost no natural light). As I talked about in this blog post, we started exploring some nearby natural areas and farms and getting some "Vitamin N" - some much-needed nature.
Then, we were blessed with our son's kindergarten teacher, a true nature lover who took her class of five- and six-year-olds out to "do school" for an entire week in the woods. I was pretty much convinced at first that our son would be eaten by a wild animal (half joking) - but he loved it, and it inspired to me to learn more about the benefits of unstructured play in nature.
So one day after piano lessons, I decided to take the littlest two on an impromptu hike at a nearby nature trail. I was woefully unprepared: the kids were wearing sandals and we had no bug spray or sunscreen. But it was magical, the way the world disappeared in the depth of the woods - and it was especially magical how awestruck and cheerful the kids were. They didn't argue or complain about a thing, which in itself was enough to convince me that this "nature" thing might really be beneficial.
We've been much more prepared on our hikes since then! We are now always wearing proper footwear, natural mosquito repellent bands, whistles (in case anyone wanders out of sight - which has never happened), and - for Mama only - pepper spray, in case we run into "bad people or bad animals" (which has also never happened). We regularly hike six area trails, with our longest hike being about 2.5 miles because, hey, they have little legs.
We've learned a lot, as the kids often ask me questions that I don't know (thanks, Google!). We use the AllTrails app to keep a map at our (digital) fingertips.
And now somehow, the girl who cheered for indoor recess her whole life is out in the woods, identifying fungus on dead trees, climbing into ravines, and enjoying every second of it.
But in the last year, I'm happy to say that this has changed. It started during the summer that our house was being built and we lived in the "tiny condo" (a two-bedroom apartment with almost no natural light). As I talked about in this blog post, we started exploring some nearby natural areas and farms and getting some "Vitamin N" - some much-needed nature.
Then, we were blessed with our son's kindergarten teacher, a true nature lover who took her class of five- and six-year-olds out to "do school" for an entire week in the woods. I was pretty much convinced at first that our son would be eaten by a wild animal (half joking) - but he loved it, and it inspired to me to learn more about the benefits of unstructured play in nature.
So one day after piano lessons, I decided to take the littlest two on an impromptu hike at a nearby nature trail. I was woefully unprepared: the kids were wearing sandals and we had no bug spray or sunscreen. But it was magical, the way the world disappeared in the depth of the woods - and it was especially magical how awestruck and cheerful the kids were. They didn't argue or complain about a thing, which in itself was enough to convince me that this "nature" thing might really be beneficial.
We've been much more prepared on our hikes since then! We are now always wearing proper footwear, natural mosquito repellent bands, whistles (in case anyone wanders out of sight - which has never happened), and - for Mama only - pepper spray, in case we run into "bad people or bad animals" (which has also never happened). We regularly hike six area trails, with our longest hike being about 2.5 miles because, hey, they have little legs.
We've learned a lot, as the kids often ask me questions that I don't know (thanks, Google!). We use the AllTrails app to keep a map at our (digital) fingertips.
And now somehow, the girl who cheered for indoor recess her whole life is out in the woods, identifying fungus on dead trees, climbing into ravines, and enjoying every second of it.
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