Important life lessons for daughters are vital for parents to teach.
I am feeling the crunch of time as my daughter and I push aside the tray of freshly foraged dehydrated mushrooms to make room at the breakfast table this morning. I observe us once again squeezing in a small dialogue about college. The conversations are brief as not to overwhelm her but to get her thinking and being open about what’s to come.
As a mom with so many interests and life lessons to share, sometimes it feels like there isn’t enough time to give both my daughters all I want them to have. Especially as I continue to evolve. As lessons are learned, I can’t help but feel sparked to share. However, I know some lessons aren’t for her right now, so many times I’m filing them away for a later date.
You see, I want my daughters to learn to budget, care for their health, enjoy good friends, find healthy partners, and know how to offer themselves compassion along with developing a continued love of reading, a thirst for knowledge, and how to work hard and also relax. I could go on and on about the life lessons. All the things I wished I had done or known or been taught come flooding to my mind.
All of these life lessons and longings are exactly why I prioritize getting my girls outside.
Nature
Because here is what I know: my girls will need a healthy space inside and outside of themselves to connect with spirit, loved ones, and themselves. They will need an environment to disconnect from demands and media. They will need a place to cry and be held as well as a place to rejoice whether alone or with others. While nature isn’t the only venue to offer what they’ll need, it has been the perfect place for me.
Nature is one of the main ways I have survived and thrived in my life. From walking country roads during my upbringing in Northwestern Pennsylvania to swimming in the cool waters of Keuka Lake during college times to exploring all over California in my adult life, nature constantly brings me back to myself.
It is in these places where my broken heart has healed and where I have found spirit and strength.
So as we sit at the breakfast table talking about college, underneath the words, I am so grateful for the hour we spent at the beach at sunset and for the day long hike we took to see gushing waterfalls this weekend. Sure, her academic education matters a lot. But I know she has been filled with something greater this weekend. What that is for her, I cannot say. Like the younger me, she might not even know it yet. However, one day it will come, and I pray she will be better for it.
Get Outside
Sonoma and Marin counties offers so many beautiful places to connect with your daughter outdoors. This phot/hike is from Cataract Falls in Fairfax, CA. To know what we are offering as far as outdoor ed and all our programs, please join our mailing list here.
