The first thing Lolly and Frostine did when we bought this house was climb that tree. At first it set of every mommy safety alarm in my body. "Get out of that tree! We don't climb trees!" I'd yell. "You can play in the backyard, but no climbing trees," I'd admonish as they ran out the back door. Then a few months later it was, "you can only climb the tree in long pants and sturdy shoes." But just like I no longer have a gate at the top of my stairs and my third child never had a wipes warmer, I don't even flinch when they climb the tree nowadays.
They will only wear pants if I beg, plead or give them five M&M's, so they mostly climb the tree in dresses and flip flops. Sometimes they even swing from the branches like monkeys.
Mostly they sit on the branch together and have loud conversations with their friend across the street. It's a pretty harmless tree. And what's better than a little girl who isn't afraid to scuff her knees and get dirt under her finger nails?
Two little girls who love to climb trees... simple as that.
9 comments:
What a perfect tree for climbing!
I, too, have relaxed over time - and so far, no one's been impaled or cracked their head open, as I so often warned.
Yes, it looks like the best kind of tree. And you could even hang a swing from that one!
My daughter is always requesting a swing, but I fear our branches are too spindly and our girl too robust. Probably a bad combination...
I struggle so much with this kind of letting go. You inspire me as a mom! And, I adore that picture of them swinging in the tree.
I was thinking about this today while I was watching my kids play outside. The amount of space between them and me increases a little bit every day. There was a time that I wouldn't let my oldest son wander out of arms reach. Then he couldn't leave my sight. Now I call to him around corners to wait for me. What's next? Watching him ride off on a bike to go to the park with friends? Luckily - I have a few more years for that wide of a chasm.
Great tree and GREAT pictures!
I love the swinging. Do you ever have those days that you remember what it felt like to swing in a tree in a dress and flip-flops? And don't you really miss it? Lucky girls.
Here here. My daughter loves to climb anything she can get her hands on. She falls and scrapes her knee, elbow,chin all the time and doesn't even blink. I envy her fearlessness and have vowed to do whatever it takes not to interfere with it. (unless of course it looks like she's going to get severely injured and then of course, all bets are off) :)
I LOVED tree climbing when I was a girl. It was one of my favorite things. Who knew how much I was making my mother fret?? Now, I hope that J will be adventurous and love it too, but I KNOW I'll be chewing my nails and fretting every time. Right now, she prefers her feet firmly on the ground. She's a cautious one so far, and has never been into climbing or being dare-devilish (thank God - I've had enough to worry about so far). We'll see what happens as she gets older.
Love your pics!
We sometimes refer to our daughter as "our son Abigail" because like yours, she isn't afraid to get dirty. I love it!
You also make me feel a little bit better about some of the letting go I've been doing lately (ie: letting her ride her bike barefoot). At some point they've got to grow up and just live with the decisions they make. So if they scrape their knees climbing trees because they weren't wearing long pants, I say all the better. (Does that make me a terrible mom??)
May be safer for them to kick their flip-flops/sandals off and just climb it barefoot, that way they can curl their toes around the branches *yes, like monkeys do* and it would help them balance. Typical girls, mine are the same way, but I do have a policy of either sneakers or bare feet when climbing, no sandals, flip-flops, boots or dress shoes when climbing because it can be unsafe for them. Dawn
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