Small Wonders: With care

We ventured outside today - it's been a while. Since we all took turns being sick, I wanted to ensure that we were better, because sick little people are not really much fun-neither are adults for that matter. With a range in age, it can be interesting getting the kids out of the house.
It was interesting because big boy goes from being really independent to clingy-and acting helpless.
Today was a crossroad between the two. The constant changes in the weather shows the children a different type of rhythm. They become aware of clothing - what to wear when it's cold, warm, hot, etc. It is also a time to learn about dressing properly, and dressing themselves even. If a child has difficulty putting on their pants for example, then let him/her go as far as he/she can. With J and Zbear needing to be dressed 100%, I asked him to dress himself- normally he does need some help, but his eagerness makes it easier on all fronts. Today he just didn't seem interested in doing one bit of it.

I think at his age gentle guidance is ever so important. It is wise to coax a child in trying to do whatever needs to be done. I find myself saying these words at least 50x a day..."just try...". Also, perhaps putting on certain articles of clothing proves to be difficult, but it's not a bad idea to ask the child to put on his socks (for example) if he's comfortable doing this. It builds self-esteem too.
Anyways, we took about 20 minutes to get dressed and outside the door, and we didn't stay outside for even 15 minutes :). Surprisingly, the boy didn't make a fuss when I told him that we wouldn't stay long because the babies needed to go back inside.
I think the cold air did us some good though because once we got back, the kids were hungry and a wee tired