Deirdre Reilly: Parenting has changed, but little boys haven’t

Article here. Excerpt:

'Little boys haven’t changed, even if the way we parent has. They still love bugs and dirt and a glorious ride down a steep hill alone, full-speed, on a wicked three-speed bike. They still have a wildness that is beautiful to watch; when they shoot an arrow straight or skip a stone with all their might at the ocean and then wonder where it went, or play an air guitar with abandon with a best friend. And they need to be left alone once in awhile to be just … free.

One of my favorite memories with my first two sons was a time when we all three ran up and down our street during a pelting rain. The boys, ages 3 and 6, screamed and danced delightedly as their hair and clothes became soaked, and their mother’s did, too. Then we jumped into puddles as hard as we could and came in muddy, soaked and with a happiness that comes from taking everything away except for the moment you’re in.
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Boys haven’t changed – only the parenting styles have. And for a few minutes, I had connected all three sons in celebrating the wildness and freedom that lives in all kids. We just have to remember to make time to do nothing but live the exact – and amazing - moment we’re in.'