A Former Child in Nature

(Reflecting Back; Fall 2014)

​You were two years old when I felt that I wanted to do more, that I should be doing more, to guide you in developing a deeper affection or fondness for the natural world.  I remember feeling that part of the worldview I was providing you was that of trains, buses, roads, tracks and animated animals and cars.  I think this early impression of your world provided you lots of motivation and zest to learn vocabulary such as colours, parts of the machines you loved so much as well as numbers.  As natural as it is for you to be drawn to these objects, colours and moving parts, I was feeling that we were both missing the natural hum of the world around us.  That the moving parts of nature were overshadowed and perhaps outcompeted by the machines of man. I was seeking and craving a balance and even more than that I wanted to take a stand for what I thought was important for your health and wellbeing - a relationship with the natural world.
As an environmental educator for most of my professional life I had developed and delivered outdoor programming for school aged children to foster a love and respect for the natural world. Why was this feeling more difficult in a parental role with my child?
​I started to actively pursue experiences in the natural world for us to share- I call these our urban wild adventures. Along the way I discovered more about myself: as a parent and as a former child in nature. But most of all I discovered more about you and your curiosities, skills, independence, boundaries and spirit as a current child in nature.