As far as I can tell, there are 2 main ways that I can be a “fun mom” in my kids’ eyes.
- Actually do something they think is fun with them, especially if it’s a break from the ordinary. It can be as simple as dancing around unexpectedly (*it’s important to note that while this may work for any age, it tends to have less “fun” effect past age 12 and more of “weird” effect…especially when done in front of anyone other than immediate family*) 😉
- Allow them to do something you normally wouldn’t let them do – not anything dangerous, of course, but something you usually say “no” to because it’s messy or super time-consuming or whatever.
The whole reason this came back to my mind (this was a lesson I learned years ago, but I’m reminded every so often how important it is) because it rained here not too long ago. We got a LOT of rain….and the kids LOVED it! And as my kids were running around laughing, listening to, and playing in the rain, I remembered another BIG rainstorm we got a few years back – not long after we’d moved into our current house, so we hadn’t done much to the landscaping at that point and we just mostly had dirt and rocks around. It seemed like it rained for 2 days straight and for 4 young kids surrounded by pools of water and….mud, well, they wanted to GO PLAY OUTSIDE. Of course I wanted to nix their idea of playing out in it, because honestly, I knew it would end up in this:
…which it did (obviously) But, we let them. And they had a BLAST! Just look at those smiles! It’s one of our favorite first memories at this house.
Yup, he’s holding his shorts in his hand. 🙂 They obviously weren’t necessary for playing in the mud.
So next time your kids ask you to do something you wouldn’t normally do or let them do something you’d normally say no to for convenience sake (your convenience), maybe try saying “Yes!” instead and watch their eyes light up and get your camera ready to grab at least a couple of shots to help them remember “that one time when you let us….”
Both you and they will thank you later. 🙂
If you can’t play outside, check out some of these simple crafts you can do with your kids:
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