Am I raising her right? DU Warning

[Drawbar]

I kind of know the answer to this but I thought some of you on here might like to hear about (and see) how I am trying to instill in my daughter a reverence for the land, grasses, trees and farm life.

She is only 21 months, so she is still too young, and may never remember this, but I think somewhere deep down it will plant a seed if you will, that will give her a love of the outdoors.

Alyson goes to DayCare 1 day a week, which is typically on Thursdays. Well yesterday at Daycare they went for a walk and the DayCare Provider uses a long rope with loops that the kids are supposed to hang onto. Well Alyson just plain refused to grip the rope. She's typically well behaved but the DayCare Provider just could not get her to hold onto that rope.

Well its funny because Alyson loves to go for walks. Well I got a few acres for her to play in so as long as we are not near the road, she is safe to play and discover on her own. After seeing a few of these pictures you can see why Alyson had no interest in holding onto a stupid rope. She is used to discovering things for herself.

Its also true you see the world differently through a child. As we went for this walk that day, she would just stoop down and marvel with total wonder at the grasses growing up in the hayfield. She was just mesmerized by the grass. At one point I stopped and looked at some with her, and you know what...right under her hand was a 4 leaf clover. I will always remember that walk and the irony of it all. Sometimes in our lives we just got to stop and "smell the roses", or in this case, check out the grass.

Anyway, here is a couple of pictures of Little Bitty Alyson in a great big field. Now you can see why she didn't want to hold onto a rope and be lead somewhere by someone else. She is used to discovering on her own. (She is kind of hard to spot in the second picture though)

http://www.railroadmachinist.com/images/Pasture_Walk-small.JPG

http://www.railroadmachinist.com/images/Itty_Bittty_Aly-small.JPG

http://www.railroadmachinist.com/images/Pumpkin_Looking-small.JPG

http://www.railroadmachinist.com/images/Alyson_Digging-small.JPG

[logansackett]

Good for her!!!! learning early to not be herded around. She is a cutie.

[sbemt456]

You are doing fine by her in my opinion. And you may be surprised 20 yrs from now when she reminds you of that time. Always be aware of what you do in front of her because she will remember that too, good or bad.

Just a few yrs ago me boys were home for the weekend, I had just made tomatoe juice, they discussed having an egg sandwich and tomatoe juice like the did when they were little and helped hand pick corn before we got a picker. They decided it just wouldnt taste the same unless the took their food over to the field and sat down in the dirt to eat it. The last time they helped pick corn with us they were 8 and 4 yrs old, and the youngest remembers as well as the older one does the taste of those sandwiches with dirt on your hands. I would not have ever thought they would recall little stuff like that.

Raise them up in the way they should go and they will not depart from it. At least not for long, then you can rest assured they will have the experience and know-how to survive thanks to your lead.

Keep letin er learn!

stella

[aerontg]

Very cute little girl you have there, drawbar :D My son will turn 2 years old in 10 days (today was my 36th birthday, yuck) .. he's a lot like you daughter, explores on his own. Enjoy it!

[MotherCharlotte]

That's wonderful. Nothing is healthier for kids than lots of time to explore outdoors. :)

[Deberosa]

I agree she will remember these experiences for her lifetime.

I was raised on a 3 acre country place until I was about 8 when my family moved to town. I hated town!

I remember exploring - discovering poison ivy and chiggers at a very young age. ;-) But I also had hand tamed the wild birds by the time I was in the second grade and could name all of the trees and birds on the property. Finding the bunny nests in the back yard. All great memories that stuck with me for many years until I could get back to that kind of life.

[otobesane1]

I don't know if there is such a thing as too young to instill values and respect for Mother Earth. I'm of the opinion that most of the problems in our country stem from parents not paying enough attention to their children, children not receiving enough loving discipline and the failure of parents to begin teaching their children morals, values, respect, et al early enough. My son just turned 4 years old and is respectful and obedient. He may not grow up to be smart or athletic, but he WILL have morals, be polite and well mannered....even if it kills him in the process.

TK

[LeatherneckPA]

Tough concept for a 21 mo old to grasp, but there is a time for independence and a time to follow instructions. Heaven forbid anything should ever happen to Alison during one of the day care walks, but if she's not required to hold that rope as instructed you can't very well blame the provider for your daughter not following instructions intended for her safety. and what kind of example does that set for the other kids in the group.

Sure, teach her to respect the earth and the wild, but require her to follow instructions of those persons whom you have supposedly placed in charge of her care too.

Independent exploration ON YOUR OWN PORPERTY is quite another thing from wandering away from the group in a town setting.