Thanks to the suggestion of a close friend, we have been reading the series "The Boxcar children" before bed every night. One might think that a series from the 1940's would be outdated and "boring" for our society full of little geniuses. What could kids kids from the 40s possibly have in common with today's kids? The answer, we sadly found out, is not much.
The interesting thing, which didn't surprise me much, is that my kids are enthralled by the stories. The children are independent, resourceful, respectful and act years older than children today. What they are lacking in technology and convenience they easily make up for with ingenuity and resourcefulness. I know that it is impossible to change the times, and that our kids are growing up in the world that they are given. There is a certain necessity to be able to function in society and a lot of things that I wish away will one day be at their fingertips.
What I do constantly wish for amidst the chaos and busyness of each day is just a little simplicity. Well, this weekend, with the help of some old stories and good weather, we found it. We stopped at the beach on the way home from a little trip and decided to just "be" on the water. We brought along some toys for the kids hoping for at least 30 minutes of peace. We got almost 3 hours. Before we knew it, there were structures built out of Hurricane Irene debris and I could hear talk of "shelters" and "food gardens" that were all too familiar parts of "The Boxcar" books. I heard my son telling my daughter to put all of the sand toys away because they hadn't been invented yet. They would dig with sticks because they "work just as good!"They planted gardens with shells as seeds that grew into wheat (dried sea grass). My son attempted to dam the ocean to make a "swimming Hole". All the while they were treating each other as the orphans in the story. They needed each other if they were to be successful. They embraced each others ideas and gave suggestions. They took me for a walk down the beach to look for anything they could use as the children from the book did when they needed things. Since mine were not orphans I was not about to let them go so far as to be out of sight, but I did keep my distance.... There we were, content on the beach. Toys were not necessary, my phone was in the car and we all survived. I have a feeling that this day is one that they will remember for some time. I know I sure will.
