Wild Wednesday: Playing in the rain

Last week I was reminded of how important it is to follow my children’s lead as we enjoyed the changing weather, especially the rain.

On one day the children were playing outside when it started to rain. I was working and thought they would come in (at least to get raincoats) once they started to get wet. I finished up and checked on them and found they had built a shelter out of some scrap wood.  They were joyfully playing in the rain without any rain gear, running to the shelter when they wanted a break.

This day, and the following days, they stayed out in the pouring rain playing happily until bedtime and coming in completely soaked. As I tucked them in at night, they chattered about their shelter and the puddles and the fun.  Happy, tired children!

I found myself pleasantly surprised. My adult reaction was to suggest that rain boots and a raincoat would make playing more comfortable. But really is there anything better than getting soaked to the bone on a hot summer day? So I’m putting away my work a little earlier this week and looking forward to all the forecasted rain, so I can head outside with them to splash and laugh.

And if you dread the wet footprints coming inside, just leave a laundry basket at the front door to catch the mess.