I love that my kids are growing up in Ottawa. It is a great city for families – so much to do and experience. Part of me wants my kids to experience it all – the festivals, the concerts, the museums. I want my kids’ days to be filled with new experiences and joy and excitement. What parent doesn’t want that for their kids?
Admittedly though, some of my motivation sometimes comes from the pressure I feel to keep up with what everyone else is doing. I see the ads and feel a pang of guilt if my kids have not experienced the event. And some days, I’m just plain tired. And surely, if I’m tired, my kids must be tired too?
Another worry nags at my subconsciousness sometimes. If amazing, super fun, happy days are the norm, will my kids get used to one amazing experience after another. Will ‘ordinary days’ no longer be acceptable? I see glimpses of this when my kids wake up on Saturday mornings and ask us what we are going to do today. Or when my son comes home complaining about being bored at school.
Ordinary days are the stuff of daily life – or should be, right? Their routines ground us, sustain us. They allow us to reflect on the super fun happy days, to remember them with fondness. They allow us to look forward and anticipate a special occasion. And they allow us to slow down, notice, and appreciate the simple pleasure of everyday life…watching the shadows grow across the yard, reading a book, raking the leaves.
So we’re scaling back a bit these days with the hope that someday, when our kids are braving the world on their own, their happiness will not depend on exceptional days. They will be able to find contentedness in the simple pleasures of an ordinary day.
