Are We Doing It Right?

Mostly I think we're doing a good job parenting, but sometimes I get these panicky feelings that Cal might be missing out on something that could fundamentally affect him. More specifically, that I might have forgotten to expose him to something Important and the lack of it has already shaped who he is. 

Dancing. David and I don't. Cal doesn't. Or when he does hear music he bobs his head once or twice and then gets on with whatever he was doing before. Hopefully he can pick up a few YouTube tutorials when he's 12 and not hate us too much.

Other kids. Cal does spend 4 days a week at kindy, so I know he gets his fill of "socialisiation" but is that the same as seeing your parents hanging around with friends and their kids? Work is so busy for us at the moment that our weekends are often spent enjoying each other rather than big groups of friends and their kids. Should we be making more of an effort to be social?

Nature. Sunshine. I want him to love the sea and the feeling of a big wide world, an adventure playground that's his to explore. I want him to stay wild and free and sometimes I worry that winters inside a 2nd floor walk-up and weekends at the Vondelpark will dull the wild-man in him.

With this in mind, David and I have decided to try and have more adventures. So yesterday we kidnapped him from kindy a couple of hours early to go to the beach. On the way there we weren't sure whether it was sunscreen and hat weather or jumpers and scarves weather. It turned out to be windy, but warm(ish). 

When we got to the water's edge Cal circled back as the tiny waves pushed up the beach, shouting "No, no, water!" And I thought, Crap it's happened already. A year ago in Australia he was straight in, no questions asked. But then we took his trousers off and in a moment he was waist deep, running in and out of the "big swimming pool." It made me feel a little guilty to hear him call the ocean that. Big swimming pool. Oops.

The point is, the kid still has his Wild thankfully and I'm going to try and be a bit better about getting out there in the Great Outdoors with him, even when it's not 25 degrees and sunny.

Windmills and beach cafe behind at Wijk aan Zee

Excellent Baywatch form

12 degree water, no problem

No thanks Cal, I'll stay here and watch

Some tears when it was time to get out

Back up the beach for a beer

And frisbee with Dad