Well, our family along with some help from our friends Kari and Paul, took full advantage of the 2 feet of snow that fell this week and went SLEDDING! We all got bundled up, including Brevin and hit the hills. We decided we should let Brevin have his first sledding experience, I mean he is 1 now, right? WRONG! We used his sled with a strap and brought him to the part of the hill that wasn't too steep or long. We strapped him in with Heath at the top and me waiting for him at the bottom. His face was priceless: nervous, wanting to have fun, but very apprehensive. Not too bad for his first run. Let's give it a second try. This one did not go so well. Same set up, but with daddy at the bottom. He made it but 2 feet from daddy and at the last moment turned on his side and face planted into the snow. In this moment, we realized that we have now scarred our child for life and that we are failures, how could we do this to Brevin? With tears and calming down, Brevin was not interested in sledding anymore. He didn't even like it when mommy and daddy went down. We stayed for about 20 more minutes and then Brevin made it very clear that he was ready to leave.
The picture that Paul took of his little "flip" looks much worse than it was (so don't judge too harshly), but what we thought and talked about more was the idea that we have now scarred Brevin for life and he will never want to sled again. Whether it was to make myself feel better or a genuine perspective, I say to heck with worrying about scarring him for life. I say this because I think back to my childhood and all of the times I was "scarred" for life, some I can laugh at and make light of and others not so much, but how they have all formed me into the person I have become. Heath has always said that he loves his skin scars, he would never have them removed or touched up because they are his battle wounds. The time he fell from the tree or off his bike, or the latest when he fell (all on his own) on the ice during broom ball. He can take off his shirt and through his scars is a time line of his life. Scars make us who we are. They put us in an instant learning situation and usually have a good story to accompany it. Heath and I have full well accepted that we will be making some mistakes and as long as they are not life threatening, we will just do what we know best with Brevin. Instead of looking back with contempt towards all of those scars, look back with a different eye and evaluate how that scarring event has shaped you to become the person you are.
Will Brevin ever sled again? Or have we just instilled in him an adventurous spirit to try something new, maybe get a little bumped a long the way, but to jump in and try it again with a new perspective. Who the heck knows? I guess we will find out as we continue on our journey of parenthood.
The picture that Paul took of his little "flip" looks much worse than it was (so don't judge too harshly), but what we thought and talked about more was the idea that we have now scarred Brevin for life and he will never want to sled again. Whether it was to make myself feel better or a genuine perspective, I say to heck with worrying about scarring him for life. I say this because I think back to my childhood and all of the times I was "scarred" for life, some I can laugh at and make light of and others not so much, but how they have all formed me into the person I have become. Heath has always said that he loves his skin scars, he would never have them removed or touched up because they are his battle wounds. The time he fell from the tree or off his bike, or the latest when he fell (all on his own) on the ice during broom ball. He can take off his shirt and through his scars is a time line of his life. Scars make us who we are. They put us in an instant learning situation and usually have a good story to accompany it. Heath and I have full well accepted that we will be making some mistakes and as long as they are not life threatening, we will just do what we know best with Brevin. Instead of looking back with contempt towards all of those scars, look back with a different eye and evaluate how that scarring event has shaped you to become the person you are.
Will Brevin ever sled again? Or have we just instilled in him an adventurous spirit to try something new, maybe get a little bumped a long the way, but to jump in and try it again with a new perspective. Who the heck knows? I guess we will find out as we continue on our journey of parenthood.
1 comments:
That picture is priceless. I like what you said about it being a great reminder to be adventorous, try new things, and get back on your feet when you stumble! We could all take a lesson from that!
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