My two year old is jumping on her bed, singing “Love Potion Number 9” with everything she has. It’s loud. It’s awesome. It’s so funny. And I’m about to take my phone out of my pocket to take a movie.
I’m so tempted, believe me. And I have videos of situations that are similar in nature. But this time, I resist. I resist to put in on tape. I resist to email it out or put in on Facebook. Because I know, that as soon as I turn on my phone, something will change.
The innocent, playful, funny scene will turn, probably just slightly – but still, into a performance. Those little eyes know what I’m up to. Suddenly, she becomes aware that there is something in her behavior that should be preserved, shared, re-watched. And she wants to do her part. And, sadly, the fun will probably end much sooner than if I would leave it be undocumented, just for the sake of the moment. Just for the innocence, simplicity, and fun of the right now. There is no need for me to tape everything. There is much need for them to just be.
I remember a wedding I once went to with my parents. I was probably about eight years old. There was also a little toddler at that wedding, and I was delighted to play with the little girl. Until, that was, her dad came and gave me a ten dollar bill. Because I took care of their daughter and they could enjoy more of the wedding.
All the sudden, the fun was gone. And for the rest of the evening, it became a chore to be with the little girl. Because I all the sudden felt obliged.
Maybe, we just have to allow our children more to just be. Without responding, without taping, without rewarding. Just letting them be in their own little world, enjoying their own little, beautiful, enviable reality. Maybe we have to allow ourselves just the same, every so often.
Franziska is a Professor of Communications turned homeschooling mom, a writer, a Certified Simplicity Parenting Coach, and a lover of stories. She is the author of “Charlie and Noel: An Advent Calendar Story.” Franziska and her husband raise their two young daughters bilingually and are passionate about family rhythm and simplicity. You can read more about the power of stories and Franziska’s journey to live and parent simply, creatively, and wholesomely at Home, Naturally: Growing Strong Families, One Story at a Time.