Don’t Forget Your Older Child When Doing the Simple Things

Last weekend I spent a fair amount of time running to the garden center and putting down mulch around my yard. It’s an annual activity this time of year and you really don’t have Spring without that familiar stank. This year I decided to also plant some flowers in our planters, just because I’m gangsta like that. Nothing screams “OG” like me on my knees with gloves, a baby shovel, sunscreen remnants on my nose, and a handful of Petunias. But, I digress…

Let’s just say I have some flowers. Ok, now it’s time to plant them. My youngest daughter loves planting flowers for some reason. I think part of it is just hanging out with Dad, but then again, maybe I’m just full of myself. The main reason is probably getting to dig through the dirt and get a little messy.

We start planting the flowers and work our way through the various planters around the outside of our house. At the same time my oldest daughter is inside working on a stack of homework. As we get to the deck and start working on the last group of planters, I suddenly remember doing all of this in the past, except it was with my oldest daughter. I remember SHE used to love planting the flowers with me too. I remember her skipping behind me excited to dig in some dirt when she was just a little girl.

I peeked in the house and saw her with her books on her lap. I opened the door and offered a trip back to the past, “hey, you want to help us plant some of these?” She looked up, paused, and said “Sure.” I could tell she wanted to and I was happy she accepted. She threw on some shoes, got her gloves, and came out on the deck. I stood back and watched my beautiful little girls work together as they planted the next set of flowers.

When you are doing some of the simple things around the house, don’t take it for granted and don’t forget that even though your children may have gotten older, they may just want to take that trip to the past as much as you do.

What sort of things do you do with your kids that you’ll remember, and continue to do, regardless of how old they may get?