Fall leaves, acorns, pinecones, and birch bark all give me a knee jerk reaction to just craft.  Specifically with children around, these perfectly suited autumn materials are just calling out to me to set up a little something something for the boys to create.  I have been gathering up paints and colored papers, and pinteresting ideas until my heart’s content.  I have been setting up little stations late in the night, to surprise my little long-haired cherubs upon awakening.

But I promise you, not everything that glitters is gold…

You see, the youngest man among us is fairly compliant to my borderline crafty obsession.  He likes a good project now and then.  Contact paper stuck to a wall and a bag full of leaves to stick on, it inspires him.  He likes it.  But, now my older one…  He gives my contrived set up a once over, puts his “fire boots” on, and heads outside to “rescue someone” without so much as a response to my oversized grin and my over the top excitement.  He is onto me.  Then what happens?  One thing, I know for sure, is it bothers me.  You see, I don’t want to lie here.  It does get me a little bummed out, and I end up doing a bit of pleading (to no avail mind you and it really only makes him resist more) and I end up slopping glue on to the provided paper and finishing the connect the dot crafty craft myself.  Because I know he doesn’t he know, crafting is FUN.  It is wonderful!  It’s a great way to pass the time!

The thing that I am missing is this is true for me….  But, for Miles playing construction worker or firefighter, now that is a better way to spend his time.  Even if it’s a solid 8 hours of it a day, he just likes it.   Give that boy a laundry basket full of mismatch socks and he is on it.  A wrench and a screwdriver and he will “fix” anything.  A stick and a jacket and he will rescue people from the most perilous fires.  This boy has a mind of his own.  And he isn’t going to budge.

of course brother joins in…

Occasionally, I do get a few scattered minutes of satisfaction here and there…

But that’s that.

The truth is, I am glad I have the freedom to let him say no; To let him choose how he spends his days, learning in the ways that feel good to him.  Though it does pain me (just a bit) when my planning is in vain, I know that I have a responsibility not to take it personally.  I will continue to offer him fun fall activities, or at least help him to know that he has full access to do what he pleases, mostly because I like to, but also because his little brother is easy like sunday morning and will do just about anything if I want company in my leaf sorting adventures.  I mean how could I not, just a few months away the holiday crafting begins and well, I just can’t resist.

In this parenting adventure it’s hard not to enforce your opinions on those little impressionable minds.  After all, your grown, you know whats right.  Right?  Right?!  Well, like they say there is more than one way to skin a cat (Is this not one of the strangest analogies around?) and your child’s head is full of brand new brains that work really, really well, if you only let them.