Yes, the great outdoors is for all our kids to discover. Its vastness, its beauty. And the most precious memories could be made right there and then, when parents and children are together.
I remember the first time I set my son loose on a play ground. He pointed to the greens and said “Gwass!” Then he looked around, and seemed to take in the sight of the great outdoors (and can you imagine how big the outdoors could be to a kid?) My son must have been so overcome by all these that he shouted joyfully, in rapid succession, ” Sky! Sun! Bird! Cloud! Airplane! Tree! Leaves! Flowers! Ants! Dog! ”
Pretty soon, he was running around, as fast as his chubby little feet could carry him, with me and his father breaking stride to keep up with him.
I had my heart in my throat a few hours later though. My son fell and skinned his knee. He bawled his heart out. It made me wonder if perhaps I should have outfitted him with a helmet and shin guards , if not an entire armor. But then I remembered a great poet whose words of wisdom admonished the parent in me: A child should be free to play, unhampered by clothing, by jewelry, by fear (of course , I paraphrase). And soon enough, as soon as mommy and daddy had kissed his boo-boo (as we had nicknamed my son’s wound), my son stopped crying, and my heart (and that of my husband’s) stopped beating wildly. Especially since my own mother had strode into the scene, took one look at my son’s knee and declared, I-Terramycin mo lang, gagaling yan!” and she proceeded to bundle my son up in her arms, reassuring him that the boo-boo stands no chance against the healing properties of my mom’s answer to every boo-boo that came her way. Just a dab of Terramycin Plus (Polymixin B Sulfate + Bacitracin Zinc + Neomycin Sulfate) Antibacterial Skin Ointment, and lots of kissing and hugging. My own memories went on overdrive, and I saw myself too as a kid, with scraped knees and shins, being comforted by my own mom, and being given the Terra treatment…that was the day I learned to climb the bayabas tree in our yard. (but then, that’s another story…)
My son ran back to the playground after a few minutes, boo-boo forgotten. As first -time parents, my husband and I learned that day, that kids bounce back, and heal in no time, and will take their cues from their parents (and grandparents’) reaction to falls and accidents. It helped that we didn’t over react. It helped that my mom was so sane and calm. And it helped that a world of scraped knees and bruised shins can be righted with just a little help from my Terramycin. And as he continued to run around again, hopping and skipping. My mom laughed, “walang kadalaan!” and my husband and I join in, as we enjoyed the great outdoors that my son has just discovered. It truly is a great place to be.
—soccermom97
