Children

Children need time to play, just play. No fancy toys, no play groups, no organization. Slow schedules with lots of time for little imaginations to run rampant. Speaking of rampant, while I was editing this post Benjamin's imagination got a little wild and he draped my yarn throughout the house. Love that boy.
Organized activities are just not my cup of tea. My husband and I held off until Levi was twelve before we signed up him for organized sports. We waited until he found something he really wanted to do, and guess what? He NEVER once asked to quit. And he did fine getting in there and playing on the team. He even won a leadership award from his coach and I believe that was the result of him NOT playing organized sports when I he was younger.
Our children have led full lives with lots of sports opportunities, group and individual and just good ole football, baseball and basketball at home. We have a football field (not regulation size, of course), a baseball field and a basketball goal. In the winter our yard and the road around our house serves as a cross country ski course and snow machine track.
Not everyone lives in a subdivision that never full developed as we do but there are many opportunities to enjoy life as a family.  To play just for the fun of playing, to spend evenings as a family instead of running to and fro. Says the lady who is gearing up for baseball season.
Benjamin has enjoyed his longer morning at home today before picking up the older Blessings from testing and going ice skating. Today will be Benjamin's first time on the ice, oh my, that means I am skating as well.