on motherhood

i recently heard of a mother who sits in front of a television all day with her son. in addition to being sad, to me this just sounds incredibly boring. the delight in being a mother is in playing with my son, in watching him explore and discover, in laughing with him. sometimes he will make me laugh, and then just laugh at me laughing at him. it is so delightful.
while in michigan, someone made the comment that my son is remarkably adept at entertaining himself--not with a screen or with loud electronic toys, but being content in exploring and interacting with the world around him. i could not have received a higher compliment. it is so, so important to me that my child(ren) be able to create things and be part of the physical, material world, that they not be dependent on technology or attention-seeking, imagination-stifling gadgets. i hope and pray that i can raise my son and any subsequent children to find God through the natural world, to develop themselves to entertain through music, art, intellectual discovery, and the joy of nature. to me, this is being a parent: not just occupying my baby to get through the day, but to give of myself in order that he may be the most human person that he can be.
more here . . .