it’s no secret that i like the snow. i look forward to winter every single year. i love watching the snow fall. it’s dreamy & magical. it’s peaceful & relaxing. it’s beautiful.
it’s also playful.
today we finally, finally, finally got our first {significant} snow. it started just as it was time to take ben to school.
the snow has been predicted for days so i’ve been preparing ben. ben doesn’t like the snow. actually ben doesn’t like playing in the snow. until today.
a little back story: over the last 5 years, ben has flat out refused to ever play in the snow. it wasn’t his thing. i’ve tried, we’ve tried. boots and snow pants were purchased. each were worn maybe twice. ben would step in the snow & immediately turn around. wasn’t his thing. sitting inside watching the snow fall, watching our neighborhood get plowed was good enough for him.
then kindergarten happened. like any 5 year old, recess is a highlight of his school day. in fact, unless it’s 10 degrees or colder, benjamin’s class gets not one, but two recesses during the day. one in the morning & one in the afternoon. the school rule is that if there is snow, the kids can play in it so long as they are dressed accordingly. this means hats, gloves, winter coats, boots, and snow pants. we have all of it.
yesterday, i started talking to ben about wearing all his gear (as an aside: kind of funny to talk to your kid about wearing snow pants when it’s 53 degrees). he wasn’t having any of it. he was all ok with not playing on the school playgrounds & being resigned to the blacktop.
this morning i reasoned. gave him choices. told him we’d wear all the gear & it would be at school with him & when it came time for recess he could decide if he wanted to dress and be able to have full run of the playground or stay on the blacktop. this worked. he knew his options.
when i picked up him up from school this afternoon he could not have been more excited. he played in the snow. he loved playing in the snow. it was all he could talk about on our short ride home. in fact, he was ready to get back out as soon as we pulled in. with a little more reasoning, we agreed that he would have a snack, relax a few minutes and then we would head out.
after their snack, we bundled up, grabbed the sleds and headed out. emilia was a little hesitant. once she saw ben run and squeal with delight she was in. for the next hour, benjamin & emilia ran through the snow, made snow angels, used their sleds on the tiny, but perfect for their age, hills around our house. when emilia was ready to go in, ben was not. he grabbed the sleds & played on our front balcony. small in comparison to the courtyard he was just playing but but large enough for him to use his imagination & play in the snow.
for that hour, my kids laughed non-stop. every move they made, every fall they had was hysterical. sledding down the hill on the side of our house, getting as far as the curb and then one time the {not busy} street was awesome followed by a lot of “i wonder if i can get that far again!” followed by “WATCH ME!”
i was beyond thrilled and that with some help that is kindergarten and, of course, friends ben was able to see how much fun it is to play in the snow. he experienced how magical it is. i am so happy that he let his guard down and stepped outside of his comfort zone.
the snow is predicted to continue to fall throughout the night and into the morning. ben is excited for tomorrow. he cannot wait for recess and then after school. i cannot wait to see & hear his excitement.
