The Expedition

This morning the boys woke up at the crack of dawn (or 9:00, whichever comes later) and announced that they were going on "An Expedition".

"Where will you be going?" I asked.
"To a planet no one has ever discovered yet."
"Okay, but in real life, where will you be?"
"You know where the path goes down by the rock and then you turn this way?"
"The frog pond?"
"Yeah"



I responded as any mother would. "Great!" I said. "Don't forget to brush your teeth, and take my cell phone with you."

They packed 1 oversized winter-weight blanket, 5 sandwiches, 3 water bottles, 2 stuffed animals, 6 granola bars, 4 cheese strings, and 2 Calvin & Hobbes books into their backpacks. And, since their backpacks would now be too heavy to carry, they took the wagon out of the van (where it had spent the night after yesterday's adventure), and piled everything in it.

They trudged off into the wilderness, heads held high, Little Tikes wagon in tow, on an expedition like no other.

They returned two hours later, with one week's worth of journal entries to prove otherwise. Joined by 4 more fellow adventurers from the neighbourhood, they did in fact discover a previously unknown planet. They named it Xylocon. Apparently the native Xyloconians are friendly and are seeking peaceful relations with Earth dwellers. The security of our home planet has been guaranteed because of the foresight and bravery of my sons.

Can you say "Proud Mama"?

I'm glad Earth time doesn't pass as quickly as Xyloconian time, because I wouldn't have as much of it to enjoy the fact that my kids are enjoying just being kids.

Remember long summers with endless days spent in the forest building forts and neighbourhood-wide games of hide & seek?

I do, and something warms this mothering heart of mine when my kids get to experience the same kind of freedom and independence (cell phone notwithstanding) and through that, they gain a spirit of adventure and of exploration -- even if it is just in the empty field behind our house!