not a magical garden |
Gerome's Magical Garden |
My inflated pride deflated after I'd gone in to get her some milk. Returning outside, I find her covered with dirt, one pot half emptied, the dirt stirred in another where some daffodils and sticks had been planted alongside the figurines. The third appeared untouched.
I wish I could be more relaxed about all of this, like fellow mama blogger Tessapho who surrenders to permissiveness, embracing her mud monster kids, and who gives her toddler daughter free rein to plant in the garden, reporting with a smile that she "expects lettuce to grow everywhere, including the lawn. And possibly her nostrils." But I can't. I've been cranky. I could blame it on getting my period, but I fear this is more about me.
Despite my not-so-fine reaction to her creative gardening, Lilly's been nagging me about getting out there to plant more. So later this week, we made another attempt. In one long afternoon, we accomplished to plant one row of peas, and push me even further towards the edge of a nervous breakdown.
I should maybe add that Gerome's Magical Garden kit is recommended for kids ages four and up, and Lilly is only (a month short of) three. But in the spirit of gardening expert Rebecca P. Cohen whose Fifteen Minutes Outside aimed at preschool to elementary-aged children recommends getting the children involved in a "family garden," I really love the idea of a space we would nurture together.
Rain has returned today, providing me with some welcome reprieve from the garden issue. I will soak it up until the sun comes back by when I hopefully have regrouped myself to face it again: the un-magical garden where the real challenges (and some joys) of parenting play out.
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