61. Finding your kid’s jam

Hello, Mama S here. Have you ever felt in your “zone”. The sky is brighter, the outlook is better, and you feel at one with the universe? Feels great, right? How often do you help your child feel that sense of zen with the universe?

A few years ago we took our (city) kiddo camping. We were nervous, anxious, afraid of what would happen. She has a level of energy that can’t be measured by any standard and has a tendency to be on 10 all the time. Keeping all that in mind, Mama A and I were worried that our usual camping trip would be more of a headache than it was worth. We leaned into it anyway. We prepped our kiddo for the heat, the sleeping arrangements, the food, and the activities (or lack there of). We packed our car to the gills with camping supplies and we were off.

We learned that camping is our daughter’s jam. It is in the open air that she thrives. Was she energetic? Absolutely. She was able to find her balance of getting her energy out while respecting those that were relaxing by the fire. She took direction well and, after a few deep breaths and some prompts, was able to relax with everyone else.

She was hooked!

We have gone camping each year since and every year she gets a little more in tune with what camping looks like; she gets a little more chill by the camp fire; it takes a little less reminders about chill time by the fire.

If we hadn’t leaned into the discomfort and fear of how our daughter would interact in this different environment we would never have found her summer bliss.

Think of your kiddo and remove all preconceived notions of how an experience will go. What do you want to do with your kiddo? What can you do to help your kiddo be successful in that situation? Do you need to do a dry run? Do you need to have frequent check ins? Do you need to go for 5 minutes the first time so they can get their feel and process that before going for real the next week?

We were prepared to leave camping. Our daughter knew this whole heartedly. She knew that if it became too much that we would help her re-center and regulate.

Not all kids are meant for all activities. We have taken our daughter to things and have had to leave in 15 minutes, before the main show started, and when the “fun was just getting started” because it was too much. You know your kid best. My challenge to you is this- what would you do with your kid if you removed your own limitations of what they can do? Perhaps you will find their bliss like we found our daughters!

Mama S