What Teaching Kids Has Taught Me
As a parent I want nothing more than to give my sons every opportunity to grow into their fullest potential. That’s why this past year has been so challenging. I’ve felt paralyzed by things I can’t do. This winter I decided once and for all, it’s the right time to take action over things I CAN control.
Since the pandemic hit, I’ve watched my first grader “go to school” via a computer in his bedroom. Instead of biking to school, playing with friends and exploring new activities he is stuck online and bursting at the seams with energy. “Mom, I just need to run,” he said to me one day. Then it hit me. Instead of feeling anxious and frustrated with what was happening, I needed to do something. This is how my new class JPP Kids was created.
JPP Kids is an outdoor class for school aged children and their grown-ups. Yes, even in the middle of a New England winter, we can all get outside to benefit from mindful exercise and interaction. Together we run, jump, dance, stretch and strengthen our minds and bodies. It is exactly what we all need to escape the screens and create some positive energy.
You should see these children go! They inspire me. This is not just a workout for little ones. These children are keeping up with their grown-ups as they squat, leap over each other in plank and race around the historic Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Never underestimate the power of a child who tries!
It was during a recent class that a light bulb went off for me. On a nearby bench a new mom was watching with her tiny baby. She came up to me and said, “This is incredible! I can’t imagine the day my daughter will be big enough to race me up that hill.”
Wow. That’s just the thing. When they are little, it’s hard to imagine the future years, because we are so invested in whatever phase is happening in the here and now. Personally, I don’t see my son as “big”, but through the eyes of that new mom, he is. These years are flying by.
When I went home I had one of those parenting panic moments. As I was talking with my husband I told him, “I just want to feel prepared and like we are doing everything we can to be ready for the future.” That’s when we both decided to get more serious about college savings. Now is the time.
We are looking into MEFA’s U.Fund 529 College Investing Plan. Right now it feels like we might not have a lot of extra to put in, but as my husband reminded me, that’s okay! Grandparents and family members are always asking about gifts for our children and now we can invite them to donate to the boy’s college savings plan. Talk about a gift that keeps giving!
If I’ve learned anything as a mom it’s that we should never limit our children. There is always something we can do to help and support them. Parents, we CAN get our kids off screens, we CAN help them stay healthy and active and we CAN encourage all of their dreams and start planning for their future. Our children are capable of extraordinary things, now let’s do everything we can do to support them.
*This post is sponsored by MEFA’s U.Fund 529 College Investing Plan, however, all views are expressed are my own.”