Work Hard, Play Hard

Spring is in the air and major change is amidst. Our kids are sprouting faster than the buds on the trees. Every day suddenly brings something new and unexpected. They work hard. They play hard. Early this evening all five of us were in the kitchen making dinner and eating chips&salsa while we cooked. Just a few minutes before dinner was about to be ready the boys suddenly disappeared together into the playroom. A couple of minutes later they were calling out at the tops of their voices, “Mommy! Mommy! Come look!!!” I found them at the easel. One on each side of it, each with pencil in hand, standing beside their big hanging paper pads. Having worked very hard on their masterpieces, they were beaming with pride:

(You might have to click to enlarge?) Let’s just say that for our very not-so-artistically-inclined Kyle, this drawing is a huge leap. Huge. Up until just this week he did nothing but scribble. He suddenly wants very much to draw. His goal as of yesterday: to be able to draw “houses, trees, and butterflies” (he announced this to us at dinner last night). This is a kid who — when he sets his mind to something — is bound and determined. Do not get in his way because he will bulldoze over anything on the path to reach his goal. This drawing, of houses, trees, and a butterfly is — for Kyle — extraordinary. I was shocked and amazed when I first saw it! He was jumping up and down with pride!

And here is Owen’s masterpiece:

This is major. It may not be for other kids his age (5.75), but this is seriously huge for Owen. Because… he is in a Waldorf school… and in a very much Walforf-esque home (particularly when it comes to educational philosophies and child development philosophies). Owen has not been taught to write letters. He has not been taught to write period. So, the fact that he did this is pretty extraordinary. Pure self-motivation, pure self-determination. Again… do not get in his way. Apparently he just decided, for whatever reason, that he was going to write the alphabet. I am sure this took extreme care and concentration for Owen to do this. I was completely blown away when I saw it. He was so proud of himself and quickly joined Kyle in the jumping up-and-down and squealing with delight.

And as for Meera…

This early spring finds us discovering that we’ve got yet another child on our hands who loves-to-grind-grungy-dirt-mud-grass-stains-into-pants. So, now, we’re 3 for 3. What are the odds? Turns out she’s now contributing almost as much as her brothers do to the heaps and piles of the ‘To Be Stain-Sticked, Spray-and-Washed, and Oxi-Cleaned’ laundry. It is a bottomless, never-ending, always-present heaping pile. I know other kids get dirty too (obviously). But seriously, it really does seem like our three get way dirtier than all the rest.

Work hard, play hard. And when work is play, and play is work… (and especially when spring is in the air and all around us and in us)… it is all good.