Two Paths of Fun

The other day, we went hiking as a family - all five of us and a crazy dog. The hike we go on has a split in the trail and if you keep walking down each path, they eventually meet up again. I challenged my 6 year old daughter E and 4 year old son C when they were much younger to go on one path while I go on the other. They tried to do it back then and go scared, so they went back to me.

It was a different story now where they excitedly go down one path by themselves while I go on the other. This time, E and C ran off down the path while my wife and I and our 1 year old son L took the other path. Our dog always follows Mommy, so that’s a given too that he was with us. When we got to the meetup point, E and C were already there and they had a blast running down their own path.

For the rest of the hike, E and C were crazy. They kept running and screaming and having a blast. It was very different from the first few times they hiked this trail because they used to complain so much and stop to take tons of breaks. Now they can keep going and most importantly, have fun. They are definitely getting bigger and stronger too.

It’s funny how as time flies by, you don’t really realize it if things are too monotonous. If you stop and think though, there are measuring sticks and big changes that happen, such as the kids loving to take the path by themselves or them running along the trail without complaining. Taking a few moments to reflect is always a good idea and it helped get some of my early morning grumpiness out since I won’t be able to enjoy them being to little forever. Being outside, able to hike with my family, and getting some good exercise in will cure a lot. I imagine as my kids get older too, running down the path on their own is exactly how I want them to approach life - going eagerly on their own and figuring out what they love to do…while having tons of fun along the way.