Monday 6 January 2014

A space to run....

So there is a new linky at The Adoption Social called The Things We Do. Somewhere to link up and share ideas that make a difference in their lives. 

So I was thinking of the things we do to make life easier for us and for the boys... 

Boyo is calmest when he has space to run. Around us we have lots of open space, where we can go to walk the dog, and he can run. He knows the rules... if I shout 'stop' he must stop, if there is any kicking of leaves near dogs or other children, we will leave, if he has a tantrum and lies down on the floor, I will stop for a minute and offer words of comfort, but I will then continue, he will need to catch up and finally, stay away from streams, rivers, becks, ponds, lakes or any other body of water larger than a puddle. 

His favourite place is near a road, and we only go there when I can absolutely trust that he will hear me and react when I need him to. His second favourite is nearby woods - with a short walk from a car park to the woods and no roads nearby. Space to run and hide and to just exist. It helps us through our days! 

3 comments:

the boy's behaviour said...

I know lots of parents do similar - with us it's the beach, for others, it's woods or parkland. Just space to run and be free for a bit.

Thanks for sharing one of the things you do on The Adoption Social x

Unknown said...

Those open spaces are so very important to us too. Sounds like you do a great job of setting boundaries even when there is a relative amount of freedom. I think it's important that children understand that even with a space to run free there are still rules to follow. Something I know my boys and I struggle with. For a long time it was almost impossible to go on a beach without them getting soaking wet, no matter how hard I tried to implement rules.

Thanks for sharing on The Things We Do. x

nh said...

having said all of that - he needed to run this afternoon, so went out... and he found a puddle big enough to fall over in and cover himself head to toe in mud... in his school coat! Cue - washing of coat!