What To Do?

For the most part, I use my mama instincts and my knowledge of my own kids to figure out how to parent. Lord knows, I'm learning along the way and I've discovered things are different with each kid. But generally I feel like I know what to do.

But every now and then I'm not so sure what to do.... Take this for example



Today is the first day in months that we haven't had to be somewhere. We should have gone to church, but we all needed a day off - a day at home. The girls have been up since 7 a.m. playing beautifully together. Other than a quick break for some toast with almond butter and milk, they have not wanted anything. They have not fought. They have not whined. They've just been playing. Together. Happily. Self-sufficiently.

And in the process they have trashed the house, which was clean when I went to bed last night. Normally, you would hear me all day long, "Girls! If you're done with those crayons, come back in here and pick them up!"

It's noon now, and I have not interrupted them all morning. I think about how nice it must be to be 3 or 5 years old and to just play, without having a grown up fussing at you all the time. And interrupting perfect sister playmates feels kind of like waking a sleeping baby.

So I'm torn... I want them to learn to pick up after themselves, and I certainly don't want to pick up after them. But I also want to cherish days like today, when they are getting to do what I think kids their age should be doing - just playing at home with their siblings.

Thoughts?