The Winter of 2011-2012 has been what us Midwesterners would call tolerable, to date. Our weather has been mild and the kids haven’t had any snow days, yet! My kids are beginning to show some signs of maturity, yes, even at eleven years old, therefore our family activities have changed, too.
Since we have lived in the same neighborhood for 16 years, our neighbors have become almost like an extended family. We try to get together often, when the weather allows, to visit and chat about how fast our kids are growing up.
Last weekend we attended an impromptu fire pit/driveway party, complete with hot dogs, smores, a blazing fire and some really awesome Missouri wine.
My kids have ventured into a comfortable stage where they can either join the party or hang out and play on their electronic devices. This shift in maturity has allowed us midlife parents to actually sit down and relax for a while.
I have discovered that as we enter 2012, our Winter hobbies have changed too. We no longer hesitate to haul out our backyard telescope and look for planets just because it’s cold outside. We may look silly all bundled up in our PJ’s , heavy coats and fuzzy slippers. But when the clear night sky beckons, we’re there! Jupiter has never looked so bright and beautiful. In fact we viewed Jupiter and three, out of its sixty-four moons!! I know, it’s not quite a NASA quality telescope!
While we are many years older than most of our neighbors, the age difference doesn’t hold the gap that it used to. We are all parents attempting to raise our kids the very best we can, in our tiny space in the big universe.