11 Comments

my niece is 2.5 and she has been giving me a good run with a few of these "welp" moments. when she moves in hyperspeed, i wonder if the thing she'll remember most from me is all the edges she's pushing against! oy! play is, indeed, a form of risk. thank you for sharing your lists. there are some great titles to try!

Expand full comment

That age is WELP! at every moment! I’m sure she will remember (and cherish) an adoring aunt whose attention and presence was everywhere.

Expand full comment

i sure hope so!! <3 i hope your bruise is healing as well! ow!

Expand full comment

Kristine, this article hit me in the gut. I was forced to recall a few times when playing with my kids and something didn't go quite right. I reacted badly and ruined the experienced. It took me some years to figure that piece out. Now I tend to go the route you did by sucking it up and moving forward but I so regret my immature reactions when my kids were litte. I am sure your son will have great memories of this day. Well done.

Expand full comment

I think many of us have been there, though I often imagine other parents having a lot easier time of it. Many times I’ve reacted poorly, thrown in the towel, or done the exact opposite of what I’d hoped to by purposefully making time for play and adventure with our kids. Setting my expectations right (which is, to have very little at all…) is the slow processing learning of parenthood.

Expand full comment

OUCH! I sure hope that leg feels better soon. So many fun pieces here, with the music and books, and you sure do relate how May can feel to so many parents.

Expand full comment

It took about a week and a half, but it’s mostly all out of my system, thankfully. Just in time for more 🤣

Expand full comment

Parenting hazards that no one warns you about ...!!! Love to you, Brave Mom.

Expand full comment

Exactly! There’s a lot they don’t warn you about! Thank you, Elizabeth.

Expand full comment

Thanks for sharing! You've got to work hard sometimes to be Fun Mom™️ or Just Mom™️. Way to stick in there and not give up when it doesn't always turnout like you thought it would. The kids love you and they'll always remember you being there and being engaged with them. ☺️

I loved seeing the final playlist and bookshop list from your 40th birthday party thread. Fun!!!

Expand full comment

It is hard work — which you make easier, honestly! We wouldn’t do half the fun things we do, I don’t think, if it weren’t for your encouragement (and safe landing when things go awry).

Expand full comment