Let Them Be...

These were photos taken by my son KC (aged 5) of me on our day out to celebrate my birthday.  

He has an amazing talent for photography and constantly asks me to take photos.  I am making an album of the photos he takes...

Rearing children brings a lot of questions, doubts, fears and above all the need to adapt to a life you would never have imagined before they came along.  After all, you are 100% responsible for another being.  The way they dress, speak, conduct themselves.  The religion they adopt (or perhaps not if they rebel).  Their attitudes and prejudices.  There is so much that we wholly contribute to with respect to the adults that our children become, it is A-mazing!

My views on child rearing constantly change or should I say evolve.  There was a time I was adamant that smacking was a necessity.  However although I am not against it, I now see that the effects of doing so for some children can be detrimental and undesired.  I also feel that if I can discipline my child and get the desired outcome without any physical harm I feel so much more in control of the situation.

I mean, if someone wanted me to do something and had the audacity to hit me to get me to do so, I would retaliate.  However when we hit our children we expect them to conform immediately, end of story.  I really think that smacking should be a last resort, but even I do not always succeed in that one unfortunately.  

The point of this post is not to discuss corporal punishment.  I digress...

After seeing these photos (obviously I edited the effects of the last two).  I thought to myself,
there was a time that I would have felt that letting a 5 year old loose with my camera worth several hundred dollars would have been bordering on insanity.  However if I had not, we would never know what cool pictures he takes... 

The point of this post is to say that our children are little people with personalities, talents and notions that we merely cannot suppress.  They are one step closer to being adults everyday.  Hence allow them to be the kids they are (within reason of course - harming themselves or destroying things aside). 

What is wrong if they sing at the top of their voices sometimes?  Give them the liberty to make a mess with paints, or cook in the kitchen with you.  Take them to the park, hold their hand and run, run, run...

When they play loudly with their toys, stop and join in instead of stopping them from being a child.  I am not advocating reckless abandon, I am advocating that sometimes we just let them be....


I am so thankful for my son.  We had a great day today and he constantly inspires me; to be a better parent, to be mindful of how I continue on this journey, and to be a better me.  

I will leave you with some other pictures KC took on our trip to New York.

Blessings!