Making Pools

My inspiration for this blog came from a recent trip to the dog beach. It was "leashes off" season so the dogs could be "free" to roam, run, make friends and make a mess. As I sat there watching all the variety of dogs and their owners I couldn't help but notice that the energy the owners had seemed to transfer to their dogs. Some of the dog owners followed their dogs every move yelling with a very obvious anxiety. What if my dog poops here? What if she walks on that person's towel? What if they go into the water and track mud into the car? What if he fights with the other dogs? The dogs with these "helicopter" owners were the ones wrecking havoc and eventually had to be contained and leashed. Others were much more laid back and friendly. Their dogs walked around sniffing other dogs, exploring the water and wagging their tails.

Then I wondered, does this apply to children? I have noticed lately that the more I let go of these mostly unnecessary fears and stopped listening to those "what if" voices, I have been able to enjoy my son so much more. That day at the dog beach I decided to walk over to Luis and see what he was up to. He said mommy, "I am making pools".

I hope that I can remember what he said that day the next time those voices are telling me, "He is going to make a mess".

Is he making a mess or is he "making pools"?