Freedom

 Here we are on a beautiful morning in the park. No people around. It's early and I was summoned out of the house to get coffee (since we were all out).

 As I sit there watching my kids quietly, sipping a Tim's I can't help but wonder if they realize just how lucky they are. Right now most of the other children in this city are sitting in a class room. They have to be quiet and listen for instructions from their teachers. My kids are free to explore and talk and are not confined by walls or instructions. 

 Sure there are no children here at the moment, but why does there have to be? They seem content on their own at this time. Playing, running, digging, talking... why do they always have to have other children around? They have moments of real socialization and other moments of free solitude. 

 Why should they always have instructions and books and curriculum? They create their own. Freely exploring their world with wonder and enthusiasm, they learn so much. 

I think back to my childhood in a classroom and look at the happy faces of my own children and realize with great confidence that they are happy. This is what childhood is meant to be like... Free!