buried treasure

Rye and a friend reminded me of the joy of finding "treasures" and all of the lessons they can teach us.

This friendship began with a rocky start, with the little boy in blue following Rye around screaming something at him that I didn't understand, and neither did Rye. Rye just told him, "I don't want to play like that!" and kept running away, but his new friend had PERSERVERANCE :). He wasn't about to let my boy get away without playing, in that way that persistant kids have. Thank goodness for the Treasure. Once Rye discovered them, millions of these (not quite acorns and not quite berries, maybe they're nuts?) the boys immediately became cohorts instead of chaser and chasee. It was really beautiful to watch how quickly children can form a bond, over something as simple as the fallings from a tree. They hatched a plan to recover the treasure, worked out how they were going to transport it to the top of the "tower," how they would divy it up once they got it there, what they would do with it once divided, and how they would protect the treasure from invaders (13 month old Piper, mainly, who wanted to eat them.)

Once again I was reminded if I just trust in my ability to parent my children, especially Rye (I think because he's the oldest I worry the most about him) in THIS day, in THIS moment, the future will take care of itself. Rye has always been notoriously shy, and not a people person. I've often wondered, and worried, if he'd ever initiate play with other children that he didn't know, and how on Earth he may go off to Kindergarten one day. But I've also always felt, deeply, if I equip him for whatever we're facing each day, and for each specific situation, he will be fine. And he is. He's learning how to make friends, and enjoying their company. He is seeing the value in risking out,outside the safe circle of our family and family friends. I don't think that that is something that I could have pushed, even if I'd wanted to. He has had to learn to see the value in other people, our similarities, and differences, for himself.