The chief complaint of this little boy’s sisters is that…
“Josiah is messing up my room!”
“Mom, he is making a mess while I’m trying to do a craft!!”
“He is throwing grass into the kiddie pool! Please make him stop!”
Sigh. It’s all true and he’s been guilty of creating unwelcome messes more times than I would like to admit. So when thinking of a special activity for this 3-yr-old and I to share in, the ideas came rushing. Freedom to explore and enjoy the messiness :: without his sisters around.
First we went together to the dollar store to gather supplies—shaving cream, silly string, water balloons {to be thrown at a target, not at each other}, and his own set of wooden spoons for making what he calls ‘mud soup’{a concoction of sand, water, grass & leaves}.
Creating this special soup of his was the highlight. We sat for close to two hours just talking…well, Mama listening to him chatter, while we stirred in more ‘ingredients’. My arm became tired and when I would pause, he would request that I please keep stirring until the soup is done. So we’d stir a bit more—stopped to eat a picnic lunch—and then kept mixing in water and grass. The soup was never really done, Mama just finally announced nap time!
The next day, while Daddy was mowing the yard and Mama inside folding laundry, our little guy decided to continue hosting the messy party for his sisters.
Without permission.
One sibling happily joined in the mud-making while the other…hmmm, not sure what she was thinking or doing. The roar of the lawn mower’s motor was stilled as I was called to come outside with the camera.
As parents we eyed each other to silently communicate & ask what our response should be. My husband just shrugged, I took pictures and we hosed down the two mud-caked kiddos. Then Daddy did firmly inform Josiah that the messy party was officially over—understood? And the day went on without event.
But oh my, what a fun time we had!
