I always like adventures. Let’s go to Macao to try bungee jumping. Let’s go to Koh Samui to learn diving. Let’s go to China to walk on the Great Wall.
Done! Check! What’s next? Let’s make a baby!
Usually done means done. Somehow, it just doesn’t work like that this time. How could I start the next adventure when there are endless diapers in my way? I have this troubling thought stuck in my head. I can’t seem to move forward. Trying to complete grocery shopping with an active baby in the trolley is my biggest weekly adventure nowadays.
I thought it would be another uneventful trip to the supermarket. We bumped into a grandpa with gentle and smiling eyes, "What a cutie pie. I want to take him home. Is he for sale?" Of course he is not. But, is he really not? Ok, I sound like a lunatic. When I told hubby about that, he said, "Next time, tell people that our boy is not for sale, but he is certainly for rent every Friday night."
What a jolly good idea! Adventurous and even lucrative! Unfortunately, I haven’t seen that grandpa in the supermarket again. I was feeling excited and so ready to propose this idea to him.
Although that mission failed, I found something else! A "bucket list for kids before they are 12". It is a list of 50 things kids should do before they turn 12. This looks exactly like what I need. New adventures, doing together with our son. I was very proud that our 10-month-old boy had already accomplished 5 out of 50.
Here are the ones he can tick off already:
1. Insecten zoeken (Look for insects)
The other day it sounded like he was communicating. I had this creepy crawly feeling all over my skin. "Could it be possible that he sees something I can’t see?" Ok, false alarm, he was yelling at the ants.
2. Naar de wolken kijken (Look at the clouds)
We were at the park that day. I was lying on the grass with him between my knees, trying to hold him with one hand, and getting my phone camera ready with the other. He was laughing so happily. Just when I was about to make the best photo of the day, the camera lens became blurry. Nooo… he was drooling.
3. Naar vogels luisteren (Listen to the birds)
Birds don’t always sing, especially when they are fighting for food. Anyway, our boy likes to stand by the window sill to look at birds hovering around our old bread bird feeder. Usually he is excited and I can hear him while doing laundry upstairs. However, he was being quiet one morning. Turned out he was chewing the old bread I planned to give the birds. Oh well, it is whole wheat bread; it can’t be that bad.
4. Op blote voeten lopen (Walk barefoot)
The first time we put him on the grass, he was scared. He was sitting on the picnic blanket and testing the grass with his tiptoes. He dared not to move out. He looked helpless but we were very much amused.
5. Uit eigen tuin eten (Eat the food from your own garden)
He has already tried a couple herbs in the yard. I can’t say that he enjoys them because he always puts them in his mouth with some soil. No wonder they are not tasty.
With this list of fun and challenges, I guess I won’t feel bored and empty for a long while. By the end of this year, we could easily complete another 5.
In August, we will go to the beach to "make a sandcastle". In September, we will visit Philips Fruit Garden to "pick some apples and pears". Also, we can "go to a farm" nearby where you can get freshly made ice cream. In October, it is time to go for a stroll in the forest to "look for the most beautiful leaf". From November onwards, there will be plenty of chances to
"get soaked in the rain".
Just, before we continue, we need to cover the fish pond in our back yard as soon as possible. I can already picture him jumping or more like sliding into it.
I don’t think that is on any kid’s bucket list. There is a limit to adventure, also for parents.
Iris
