we like sunny days

This week we're babysitterless so it's ALL MAMA, ALL THE TIME. Lucky for me, this week I'm also workless. And luckier yet, the weather's been perfect.

We've made many visits to the park just a few houses away. When you have a child and a brick backyard, a nearby park is a requirement. This one has everything too -- an elaborate jungle gym, swings, tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball diamonds -- everything a ball-obsessed boy could want. So we bring a ball and do some of that. Then there's the throwing of the sand, and the playing with the stick. This summer, we'll give the attached waterpark a whirl and if it's a hit, it's season pass for us, baby!

There are some great little-people swings too. You know, the kind that would have to be tipped completely upside-down for the baby to fall out? Raisin used to love the swings. He'd start crying when I stopped pushing him. But this time, there will be no swings. This time, the swing is the enemy and any move in its direction is met with much resistance. Same goes for the bouncy toys.

Did he get this from me? I have a vague recollection of being pretty much afraid to try everything when I was little. I know this is probably just a stage -- seems like pretty much everything is at this age. But I don't want him to be the boy who misses out on the fun because he's afraid. I used to hate the pressure that usually came with the fear of trying something -- even though once I tried it, I usually wanted to do it again and again. And when I see that look of fear in a child's face and the pressure that usually comes with it, it throws me into rescue mode where I want to whisk the child away from the situation so they don't have to feel bad.

So, how much should a child be pushed to try something they're afraid of trying? What if I had just put Raisin in the swing and start swinging him as he cried? Would he have eventually enjoyed himself or be forever terrorized by the sight of a swing? Call me a mollycoddler (just wanted to use that word), but I guess I prefer him to want to come to the conclusion that he wants to try it on his own. We have a playdate with his friend Maya next Tuesday. I'm hoping once he sees her on the swing, he'll change his tune.

Until then, we'll just play with sticks.