When Ethan was about 3 years old I took him to a local park on an Autumn scavenger hunt.We had lots of fun finding orange leaves, acorns, conkers and many other delights that nature brings with the changing seasons.
At the end of it, before heading to the play area, I stood him in a pile of leaves and proceeded to throw them everywhere to encourage him to see the fun that comes with playing in the crisp leaves of Autumn, a childhood Ordinary moment that he really wasn’t that bothered about and frankly quite mortified initially that I would chuck leaves over his head!!
How times change when this week both he and Megan have spent a lot of time on several occasions to stop and play in the leaves, accompanied with squeals and giddiness. I cannot believe that Autumn will soon be gone and we will be faced with icy mornings and snowy adventures (I hope), but grateful we can make the most of these last few weeks with this lush weather. The unusual dry, mild weather we have enjoyed recently has meant that we have had lots of little trips and adventures outdoors with picnics, scooter rides and parks. It has been pretty chilled and has meant that with being out and about so much and wandering, both have taken a great interest in all of the piles of leaves lying around.
Ethan refused to leave school on Wednesday because he too was excited to stand with the other boys and throw handfuls of leave at the fence and repeatedly laugh his head off as the wind snatched them and stuck them against the school fences. It was so lovely to see him being spontaneous, and embracing the last few days of Autumn joy with his school mates!
At times it has been a little frustrating, especially when we have been in a rush to get to after school classes or running late for school, but still it made me so happy to see them having fun and it really got me thinking of how sometimes as parents we try to force and create situations when they are little because we know the joy these moments will bring them. Perhaps we desperately hope that our children will see the magic in these small ordinary segments of childhood, or maybe that we want these moments to be on our time scale when we aren’t rushing onto the next thing, but I realise that when left to their own devices they will discover them for themselves and we can be spectators in the moment that just cropped up.
Be it picnics, scooter rides, parks or leaf kicking and throwing, we can appreciate with them the joys of the seasons and the ordinary moments of simple childhood pleasures!
So many leaves this year – there is nothing I love better than hear the crunch of the leaves under my feet. Even now in my thirties I always have the urge to jump up and down in a pile of leaves! I will miss Autumn! xxx
I think my children teach me about being spontaneous, I love things to be organised but it doesn’t always work as planned, and they always seem to love the unplanned stuff more! I have only just realised that you are from Yorkshire, we are too but we are in the North xx
Hannah thats so true isn’t it – things rarely go to plan! I deffs need to chill out and learn from them to be more spontaneous and possibly a little silly too 🙂
Yes were here in Leeds..I love North Yorkshire though, which part? x
We are nearer York but only about 20 miles from Leeds so not too far away. I worked in Leeds for a long time and miss it a little now, hoping to take the children nearer to Christmas to see the lights and festivities! I need to go with the flow a bit more, my kids love it when I’m silly and join in! It’s so hard as a parent thou isn’t it? When you have routines and other priorities too!
Such gorgeous photos Mary and the blog is looking fab. I love Autumn and usually love getting out and about outside and taking photos but I feel like I have been a bit rubbish this year. The weather has been bad and also a week of our time was taken up in Florida too- but now it is getting near to December and that is my favourite month by far. Autumn definitely brings out the staple childhood pleasures. x
Thanks Katie! Lovely of you to say..yes feeling rather proud of it all now!
I think Florida is the perfect excuse not to have those Autumn pics haha, an amazing opportunity and adventure…there will be many more Autumns to capture! Can’t wait to see what December holds then 🙂 x
This Autumn seems to have been lovely (not based on the last few days obviously!) and there have been so many leaves. Lucas runs though piles of them on the way to school. I love that Ethan and his friends just got stuck in after school, sometimes it is a little frustrating as you know all the things you need to get done but at the same time lovely to see them having fun. You are so right, they will discover these things in their own time xx