Getting your kids into the garden

I kind of liken parenting to gardening, in the sense that it teaches you patience. Just like you need to patient with a flower about to bloom or a plant to grow, the same goes for kids. Just writing this blog post has taken me about 5 attempts due to kids needing me. This week I posted this picture on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpd3ZyylvCW/?taken-by=loveofdirt This is our 11month old baby having the time of his life with a hose, in the mud, alone right up the back yard. He was having the time of his life (see the kids + garden highlight on my instagram to see it in action). Someone commented on this picture saying how nice it is to see a kid in the mud, apparently it doesn't happen much anymore. And it's sad, but it's true. And this is my husbands doing to be perfectly honest, I normally put him on a rug for fear of an ant or spider bite. I don't think he would have even noticed an ant bite he was having so much damn fun.

Embracing the helpers

I used to get super frustrated with my toddler trying to help me in the garden. She would up end pots, plant too many seeds or just undo everything I just did. At first it made me angry. She was interfering with my happy place. My time out zone. Until I realised, I've got an opportunity to involve her, make her love being outside in the garden, show her how to grow her own food. She's emulating me, and being outside instead of in front of a computer/phone screen is what we all need to be doing more of. Who knows what the future looks like for her, but I really hope I equip her with the skills to grow her own food. https://www.instagram.com/p/BhKfiPFj6AR/?taken-by=loveofdirt Now instead of following her around in helicopter mode, I show her, I teach her, I let her play in the muddy cuddles* (*puddles). I let her sprinkle entire packets of seeds into garden beds. I let her pick flowers (and entire plants sometimes) to get her involved. https://www.instagram.com/p/BpdONP7Fm2Q/?taken-by=loveofdirt She's not the best eater at the moment, and I hope she's going through a phase, but she'll happily pick a handful of basil or mint and eat it when she's pottering in the garden,. She'll try things she wouldn't normally try as long as it's direct from the garden (put it on a plate in front of her and it's another story). So if you're struggling to get your kids to eat good food, it's time to get them in the garden. Show them how to do it, if you don't know, then learn together.