Get Out...

...AND STAY OUT.

I just want to say that I am so glad that both of the girls are now old enough to be kicked out of the house.

Yes - you read that right. I kick my 3 yr old and 5 yr old out of the house. (SHE IS SO STILL THREE YEARS OLD! At least til Saturday...when I will begrudgingly admit that she has gained a year.... very begrudgingly.)

Now that they are both older and fairly well capable of obeying a couple of simple rules and boundaries, I find that there is a great deal of joy in sending them out into the yard to play.

**Mind you, the yard is fenced so they aren't wandering off to the road, and if they happen to be playing outside the fence, they have a very strict set of boundaries and know very well that failure to adhere to those boundaries will mean that they no longer have the freedom of playing outside alone. **

I do feel that the yard is a wonderful asset for parents and children.

They get to be out on their own and enjoy the independence of playing without me hovering.

I get to do a bit of housework without tripping over little people (or play on the computer without the constant chatter of little people - which is what I am most likely to do).

They get to put their imaginations to good work, creating their own games and their own adventures in a yard that is filled with lots of places to go adventuring.

I get the benefit of two little girls who become very sleepy by the end of the day.

Now that the weather is warmer, I try to kick them out of the house most days. Of course, they are never all that resistant to being kicked out...