Is it our job to make our children’s childhood magical? Or should we simply get out of the way so our kids can make their own magic?
Join Saren and April as they discuss a variety of perspectives to help us find the right balance.
In this Radio Show, April and Saren discuss ideas for how we can:
- foster creativity in our children as we encourage them to make their own fun
- increase the contentment and joy in our own lives by slowing down and taking the pressure off ourselves to be the constant “cruise director” in our children’s lives.
Show Notes
I’m Done Making My Kid’s Childhood Magical (Huffington Post Article)
Nurturing Magic in Childhood (Saren’s blog post with thoughts on the article above)
Mom Adventures (post offering great ideas for striking a balance between planning stuff for your children and having them be in charge of plans)
Do-it-Yourself Summer Camp (simple ideas for structuring summer days so children have some “must-do” activities but also have a lot of time for self-directed play and learning)
Click here to view a PDF summary of the podcast.
Music from Creations by Michael R. Hicks.
Audio Editing by Christy Elder
I love this podcast! Okay, I love every podcast you ladies do, but this one is a favorite. Probably about 3 years ago I was really struggling with this concept; wanting to create/cultivate a magical childhood for my kids. We lived in the heart of NYC, small apartment, decent walk to Central Park and I loved it in a lot of ways, but it was very much not like my childhood (on a farm). I craved to give my kids the freedom to explore without me hovering, because those were the magical moments I remembered from my childhood. Freedom to explore without a mother hovering is impossible in the heart of a major metropolis. And our small apartment didn’t allow for much freedom either (the only place for a fort blocked the path to the bathroom!). I talked to many family members and friends about what makes childhood magical and got such wide variety of answers that I became even more confused.
Basically, this idea of a magical childhood has been on my mind (and heart) for years. We moved out of NYC, but still live in a (larger) apartment. With a deck. I still dream of a yard. But I feel like the magic is happening (slowly, but it is happening). During spring break my 7 year old daughter (who desperately wants her own room) made herself a little room that she could barely fit in under the stairs. And she slept there every night during spring break. At Easter she kept asking and begging for me to do a scavenger hunt with the Easter eggs. But I never got around to it. She did it for us and it was far more fabulous than what I was planning in my head. Then my 4 year old loved it so much he did (a much simpler) one too, with the help of Grandma.
It’s been so nice to see that magic forming and growing on it’s own. It is so much fun! Fingers crossed that circumstances will guide us to a big, safe yard before my oldest is a teen.
Thank you for sharing your story, Kiasa! Loved hearing how this is working in your family. You’re doing great work!!