I Don’t Want My Kids To Spend Their Lives Preparing, I Want Them To Live In The NOW

“I want to give my kids a childhood.

I don’t want to get lost in the preparation.

Preparing them to get the best grades, to get into the best college, or learn another language, or perfect the violin, or work with a top soccer trainer.

Instead I want to cherish them now and give them what they deserve. Time.

I want to give them long days of riding their bikes in the neighborhood.

Hours going by where they feel free, and I don’t need to know exactly where they are at each and every minute.

I want them to live with their boredom…to learn to grab a book, bake homemade brownies, have lemonade stands, and get messy with paint.

I want them to feel the soil between their hands in the garden, grass between their toes, and wind through their hair.

I’ll encourage them to stomp in the puddle and have grass-stained knees with knotted hair.

I want simple memories together of dance parties in the kitchen, snuggled up movies, pizza out of a box, strolls through the forest, and sand castles at the beach.

I’ll cherish the hard memories full of tough conversations on beds, tears, hugs, heartbreak, and more.

I want adventure memories of climbing a mountain, seeing big red rocks, hiking to grand ice formations, horseback riding, and more!

I don’t want my kids to spend their lives in preparation because I want them to LIVE.

There is so much to be learned in living in the now.

Not the constant preparing for the future.

The now.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Angela Anagnost-Repke, and originally appeared here. You can follow her journey on Facebook. Submit your own story here and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

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