Hindsight REWIND Let it Snow!

Reminisce and Reflect with me.

Enjoying the winter wonderland around us we were on our way to the neighborhood tobogganing hill.  It’s nineteen-ninety something and the sledding was fun.  The hill was fast and full of snow suited youngsters with crazy carpets and saucers in tow.

Older kids had built a huge bump of snow into the slope to give it that extra blast of excitement.  Being a conscientious parent I spent the whole time worrying and carefully steering my girls around the hazard.  Everything was going great until the final ride of the day for my two oldest daughters.  At the last second, they caught the edge of the hill and veered right over that big bump!

I saw it happening and was helpless to intervene.  My heart sank as I heard the screams of anticipation and then sheer joy.  It was quite a thrill and an enormous spill.  Fortunately children bounce quite  well and everyone was fine.  Unexpected moments and experiences can sneak up on you.  Some are destined to become iconic childhood memories.  It couldn’t possibly have been planned or prevented but taking flight momentarily while sliding down that hill and landing flat on their backs and behinds was the most exciting part of the whole day for my kids.

A few weeks later I was driving home from a long day of teaching after picking up my girls from school and daycare.  We were in the midst of a bad winter storm.  It was going to be a challenging drive and I was suffering from a severe migraine headache.  Traffic was slow and the roads were slick.  Being sick is difficult for any working parent but this was truly memorable.

We needed to get home.  Struggling to keep going I finally had to pull over and only temporarily incapacitated threw up into the only thing I could grab, my favorite bright yellow woolen winter toque!  It wasn’t planned and it couldn’t be prevented but mom getting sick in her hat was the most dramatic event of that whole day for my kids.  

The snow kept falling.  Back in control and parental role we continued driving and eventually managed to get home.  My girls did their best to take care of me.  My youngest called it doctoring Mom.  If I were to show up today wearing a yellow toque I guarantee that my adult daughters would chuckle and then we would reminisce about that intense journey home in the car all those years ago.

You don’t have to be the perfect parent all the time and you won’t be the perfect parent everyday.  Imperfections help build character.  Challenges make us all stronger.  There will always be things that you can’t stop, can’t control and can’t change in your children’s lives.  Being there for your loved ones when they need you is what’s important.

Much older me is telling younger me that the precautions taken, the meticulous plans made and the hoops jumped through to make family life run smoothly may not always be remembered and appreciated.  But, people will remember many of those random shared spontaneous moments.

The old saying “Don’t sweat the small stuff” comes to mind.  Let it snow and chill out!  Look on the bright side. Snow always makes things whiter and lighter giving us a clean slate.  But snow does not last forever.  So rekindle those good memories.  Focus on what makes you feel good and go out and have some fun.

I recently did that exact thing.  I have always loved snow and winter.  When I was young I did a lot of ice skating with family and friends.  My own childhood memories take me back to skating with my dad on cold winter weekends. 

Haven’t done this since the 90’s with my own kids.  It’s twenty-twenty and last weekend I decided to enjoy the winter wonderland around me and I went skating again!

Thank you for joining me.

Karen