Five Minute Friday ~ Release

M&M was my 8th K4 student.

I've had to be a bit careful of my attitude as I've watched those other mothers and fathers there for every field trip, every activity for their K4 kiddos.

I've not been - partly because I've been there, done that... several times. Partly because I had other obligations and things I needed to do with other kids that made it impossible. But the biggest "partly" had to do with the fact the M&M needed to gain some independence from me and not have me around for everything.

That didn't stop me from wondering, though, from time to time... and sometimes more times than not... what some of those other really involved-there-all-the-time mommies and daddies might have thought of me.

THIS... these pictures... was her last field trip of the year and was one of those ones that I did make.

I don't know that I genuinely think of these ordeals as fun, even under the best of circumstances - although I enjoy watching my little girlie run around and learn and interact with her friends and learn and then come running back to me to tell me what exciting thing she's discovered.

This trip was to a nearby children's museum. This piping display right next to the window was M&M's favorite exhibit. Mine, too... just because she enjoyed it so much.

Well... that's not entirely true. Because it is highly likely that I might have had just as much fun at this exhibit as she did.

The piping was some sort of a vacuum. M&M would pick up scarves and foam balls and put them in the tubes. Then she'd watch them be sucked through - literally flying along - and then they'd pop out to float or fling to the ground, where she'd either catch or gather off the floor to start the whole process over again.

At certain junctions in the piping, were levers that could be moved. That would change the pathway the scarves or balls would then take through the tubing as well as where they'd then pop out.

With each release, my littlest one stood there waiting, eyes up... wondering which pipe would then spew forth those items so she could run, try to catch, collect so she could do it all over again.

I'm not kidding you when I say she was fascinated. Like for 20 minutes fascinated. In a children's museum with lots of other things to potentially fascinate her. 

I was glad.

This whole scenario reminded me a bit of parenting.

There aren't any formulas... and I guess I no longer picture my husband and I as "launching" or "aiming and shooting" (as in the bow and arrow analogy) our kids as they're starting to grow up and move out and away and on to other things. Instead, it is feeling a lot more like M&M releasing those scarves into that vacuum... where then they are sucked away - almost violently.

We aren't exactly sure what paths they will take, whether they pop or fling or float - but as their parents, we can watch expectantly for when that happens - and then go from there...

Right?

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Linking up, a few days late, with Lisa-Jo for a Five Minute Friday write.

(adding all the photos too more than five minutes