Balance

Everyone says that life is about balance.  All work and no play makes for a very cranky mom, that you have to pick your battles - sometimes I feel like I am in a balancing act at the Shrine Circus. Trying to balance a family can be very exhausting. This summer one of the biggest challenges I had was getting my kids to get out and go play.  Living in a moderate home in the city my kids have been well trained up till this point to not go too far and stay where I can see them.  We built a good strong fence to keep them in and danger out. Well, now that they are getting older I'm at the point that I want them to  GET LOST - but "stay together and be smart and let me know where you are going and when you'll be back and watch out for your little brother......."  Needless to say they didn't go far and there were times that I was going crazy with them under foot.  It's hard to balance between wanting to give them freedom but be close by to protect them, to be there to help them with all they need but to teach them to be independent.  So it is with trepidation that  I let my children just go and do.  A couple of days ago I was outside watching my three boys and their friend run out into the middle of the road and strategically place crab apples on the asphalt so that the cars would squash them as they went by.  My first instinct was to  tell them to stay off of the road - a responsible parent thing  to do.  I held back.  I watched carefully to make sure they were being careful  but I saw the anticipation in their eyes, hoping that their apple would be the one splattered all over the road.  It took a number of attempts to rearrange the apples into just the right pattern across the road, with many disappointing drive by s.  As I watched them set their trap and then run back to the side walk to wait for the next vehicle I saw a city bus head down the street. The boys crouched down for a closer look, and as the bus sailed by I saw four looks of exhilaration  accompanied by unified "yeah's"  as the  doomed apples were crushed into sauce.  A simple victory brought them such great joy and they couldn't wait to do it again.  Way more fun than Super Mario Cart Wii.  So was it risky? Yes.  Will I let them do it again? Probably not.  But I had to let them try it once, I still remember what it was like to be a kid.