Just laying around, doing nothing

[Kaed Family]

She was just laying on her back, rolling around on the floor, putting her feet on things.  Basically doing nothing.  I thought about suggesting something to do but then decided to let her be and relaxed on the couch with my book.  We had spent the morning watching a couple large trees getting cut down in the neighbors yard.  The kids were fascinated with the process.  She sits up and asks me if the earth turns a little faster when the large tree trunks fall and shake the earth.  What an interesting thought.  I asked what she thought in order to give me time to think of my response.  Plus I just love hearing her ideas.

Here's another...

She was watching Thomas the Train which she doesn't like but her brother was watching it.  I could made suggestions on what she should do but she decided to draw while watching tv.  Then she turned to me all excited with a drawing of a vehicle she wanted to label as a steam car.  She thought if there are steam engine trains there should be steam engine cars to save me money on gas.  I've been complaining about climbing gas prices ;)

 

 

 

[Edith]

It's a funny coincidence for me to read this just a few minutes after this. We just talked about it (as often), my sons (13 and 19) and me.  The youngest asked me if I wanted to play in the sand with him but I preferred continuing my sewing. He was disappointed so I suggested doing something else if he wanted to spend time WITH me. And as I suggested painting the swing, transplanting tomatoes or sand the rusty studs of the hammock, his older brother (who has lived too long without unschooling, what's our own fault, my husband and I) told me to stop wanting to forced to work. Yet, I really did not head to force them to work. I only suggested activities that I enjoyed doing with someone else, that's all. 

And I realized again that all the times my children have not lived their lives freely, it has wounded, and they still have difficulty to cope sometimes. It's getting better, of course, but they often have the reflex to ensure that the interlocutor just does not try to sell his anti-life propaganda, the obligation to always "do something", which means, actually, "do something tangible for someone else but for yourself." Besides, Oli, who is the older one, said that there is enough people around us who think we are doing wrong in letting our children free when they see teenagers who are neither in school nor at work (paid employment) ... 

So I told him that I don't see things like that (which I regret for the past, I often say), I was just suggesting activities because Je (the younger one) had expressed the desire to do something WITH me. But if he wants to do nothing while I sew, so I'm fine. I just want to make sure he is right. At this, Oli said that I just leave her brother alone, he has the right to do nothing. And I told him that of course I agree. It is quite right, like all of us to "do nothing" if it is, if he is happy. Well-being is our way of life, something like our 6th sense.

 
And during that brief discussion between me and the big brother (!), the youngest had already chosen to read after having spent his quiet time to "bored" as he said. ;-)

Thanks for this post ! (And sorry if my English is not perfect, I use google translate and try to put a finishing touch, doing my best.)

Edith

[Meredith]

Gives you a whole 'nother perspective on "nothing" doesn't it?

I love stories like that. Mo can spend amazing amounts of time (from the perspective that says kids have short attention spans) watching things - water flow, or flames flicker. Today she spent an hour watching an owl outside the bedroom window, drowsing in the sun for the first time this year after spending every evening for a couple weeks listening to him hoo-ing. It's so wonderful to get to see all that thoughtfulness and contemplation.