Today, we had the most wonderful day. The kind of day that makes me think, only for a minute or two, that this parenting gig could be my only job. (Aside: I am much happier when I am half full-time mom and half coach and student -- a weird set-up made possible by a very amicable divorce. Go figure.) Anyway, today, I thought that I could do this every day.
We got up reasonably early for us (about 9:30 a.m.). Aaron went to work (thanks for bankrolling our day, by the way); Livy watched a movie and got some food; and I worked on my Spanish most of the morning. About 11:00, we packed a bag full of water and snacks and put the stroller in the car. Then, we went to the zoo.
Livy walked some and strollered more (Six year old legs are still very chancy.). We saw every animal in our small zoo, pausing in front of the ones we found most interesting for a long time. The nice thing was that it really was us enjoying the zoo, and not just Livy. I strive not to have a child centered life, where every activity is for her, educational, and a chore for me. Instead, I hope to have a reality centered life, where we both interact with reality in our own ways, and hopefully, we do it together often. Today was one of those together times.
She like the reptiles, so we read every word about every snake, making sure to note if they were poisonous cause poisonous snakes are cool. I really like the primates, so we made sure to catch the gorilla and the orangutan feedings. We watched them, especially the babies, and marveled at how human they act. Neither of us is crazy about birds, so we paid them no mind. I didn't try to educate her at every turn, and she didn't assume the trip was all about her interests. We just hung out together. It was wonderful.
We looked at animals, rode the train, played on the playground, and talked about plants (oh how I love them). We did educational stuff, for sure. We did science all day (animals, plants, evolution). She practiced reading a map. We discussed money (how much things cost, making decisions about what you want to buy with the amount we have to spend, the financial cost of me being home with her and at the zoo instead of having a job). We practiced social skills (especially on the playground where she had to be VERY assertive with some badly behaved kids in a big group who were rough and didn't take turns). I read things out loud all day, while she looked on at the signs. But none of these activities was intended to be educational. It's just that life in the world, our fascinating, complicated, interesting world, requires reading and math and science and map skills and human interaction. She is living in the world now and learning as she goes along, and I am living and learning with her.
