My backyard is a hazardous wasteland. Okay, not totally. It’s beautiful and has a gorgeous waterfall and has more plants than I’d ever care to have, and yet…it’s also the perfect place for my children to run amuck. The backyard was one of the selling points for me on this house…not because of its beauty, but because I knew my son Aaron would come alive in it.
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This is a pile of dust and leaves, and many, MANY, airsoft bullets and BB’s. At this point in time, I have to give a warning to our guests regarding the potential slipping hazard of said bullets lying all over our yard. They. Are. Everywhere.
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Yes, I make them sweep them up. Yes, they suck at it. No, at this point in my parenting career I really don’t care to make them be any better at it. Enabling? Maybe. End of the world? Nah.
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I love that our backyard is a place of adventure and exploration. I love that they build their own bows and arrows, “clear the yard” with their airsoft guns, target practice with their BB guns, and make forts and hide-outs on the regular. Leave extra fence wood out too long before using it and it’s a sure bet it’ll be utilized and forever ruined in the newest cycle of forts.
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Someday I’ll have a nice, pristine walkway. That day is not today. I’m okay with that, and know that one day I’ll miss the constant evidence that my children are out enjoying, learning, and exploring in the yard.
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So today, I sweep, and later, there’ll be more again to remind me of the little people that live here. I choose to enjoy it all.