A Test in Letting Go

I took the kids to an open gym session at a local gymnastics school. Last time was a wee bit stressful so I had some reservations.

Last time we went I was 7 months pregnant with Lil Sis, and Big Bro was not quite 2. At that time Big Bro was too freaked out by the ultra bouncy floors, but he loved the foam pit best! So there I was, very pregnant, and in the foam pit trying to protect my not-yet-two-year old from getting stuck in the foam and from kids flying every which way jumping nearly on top of us at times. Yup, not ideal.

"Look out","Be careful","Watch out for that boy!" I don't want to undermine my child's confidence by telling him to always be careful, but that can be hard to do with kids running left and right. Toddlers/preschoolers aren't exactly known for their awareness or self-control.

This time Big Bro was able to do it all himself. I still got nervous with kids running and colliding and landing in the foam pit inches from each other. But I restrained myself from calling out too many warnings, and there were no injuries, tears, or even bumps. It was a lesson for me in letting go. To trust that Big Bro can be aware of his surroundings, his body, other kids, and not crash.

"He floats through the air with the greatest of ease,
the daring young man on the flying trapeze"

This time I had Lil Sis to keep track of. She was content to chase balls on the giant springy mat where gymnasts do their floor routines. With Baby Pepper in tow of course. There were a few giant bouncing exercise balls that I deflected from knocking her down, but she did well. 

I think I did too.