Sunday, January 6, 2008

Heart Leaps



Some of the things children do at parks make my heart leap--- not with joy, but with adrenaline. It's probably because two decades have elapsed since I've tuned in to watch fearless kids swing and climb on the high bars. Now that Kenz has discovered the thrill in ascending these plastic and metallic structures, I am practicing the skill of refraining from saying, "be careful," several times a minute.


At the park yesterday, I watched as a six-year old climbed to the top of a slide, then reached an arm high above her head to try and touch a canvas covering that was at least a foot above the structure. My reaction to the sight was--- a gasp. No one else, not even the nearby adults seemed to be shocked by the scene. If the little girl had been barefoot or wearing gym shoes, I might have been one of the casual onlookers,(not really) but the teetering child was wearing pink cowboy boots, the hard bottom ones with shiny soles as slick as roller skates.


She got down unharmed and thankfully her feat went unnoticed by Kenz, although I'm not convinced it's something my granddaughter might not try on her own one of these days.


After only a few hours of park play, Kenz learns new tricks, as she calls them, ones she is not only proud of, but genuinely enjoys doing. Going upside down and hyper extending her back brings a big smile to her face.


This kind of climbing, reaching, testing the strength of your arms and the courage of your Nana is--- crucial. I have resolved that this new year will include as many outings to the park as I can squeeze in. Although I will be gritting my teeth, I have to trust that Kenz can trust her limbs and her brain when reaching across the bars far above the ground.


It'll be a long time till I join the bench moms who are busy flipping through Style or People while their children skip across the sky, but I'm getting a little better at letting go and letting Kenz--- go for it.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Me too!!

http://locarrerdelriu.blogspot.com/

Kerith Collins said...

oh i love/hate those park days also...my little lady has no fear and it is going to give me a heart attack...i love all the pictures in the side bar...I almost forgot to read the posts...you should do a photo blog...have you checked out sarcasticmom.com...she does a photo weekly winners on sundays?
kerith
http://kerithskontest.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

Nana Connie,

While I've yet to be blessed with grandchildren, I suppose I might as well get ready, because it's bound to happen when I least expect it (though, thankfully, when it does, I'll still have a few more years' reprieve before I'll have to worry about playground antics)!

Thanks for presenting the protective grandmother's perspective! I'm sure many, many grandmothers can relate!

Appreciated your visit to Writer's Notes! Thanks for the insightful comment!

Best wishes in the New Year!
Jeanne

Jen said...

Parks are one thing we lack here in the Philippines. We have very few. Although I'm sure my heart will also leap out of my chest if/when I ever see my little girl on the monkey bars. :)

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