Nature and Nurture

Is there anything in this world more magnetizing to a gaggle of children than a creek full of running water? There is something infinitely intriguing and meditative about the combination of mud, rocks, bugs and beyond-freezing mountain water. The mud must be touched. The bugs must be caught and examined. The freezing water must be splashed in. The unseen fish must be lured, because like the classic gambler, we just know the NEXT cast will be the one that reels in the big one. We need more of this! (Mamas too!) It is imperative. Did you know there is even a disorder (of course there is) to describe the poor deprived kids who don't get out enough? I have resolved that NDD will be one disorder my kids will not have to purge in therapy. There are plenty of others they will have to contend with, and therapy is expensive. I have the quality of my nursing home to consider. There is another cool benefit of the mini-vacation. You get to love on someone else's cute kids in addition to remembering how cute your own can be. The little people spend every minute discovering something new and acting like one big, sloppy, happy family. The Brady Bunch I will never have! And no one cares much about schedules or messes or dirty shoes or the food pyramid. It all comes to an end, as good things tend to do, but then you can remember it. And hopefully the little people will remember it too.