21st Century Parenting

      Going green really can be quite fun! I'm not talking about recycling house hold goods, or using environmentally friendly paper products.  I'm talking about spending time in nature, experiencing the sacred in nature, and I always have, even as a child.   Recently I experienced returning to the "nature" setting  to be one of the most joyful parenting moments.  In my house with an 8 year old, I am very aware that we still live in the consumer age with the lure of "keeping up with the neighbor next door", however when we look for moments to consciously connect with our family and actively make good choices for the environment, unexpected rewards await!  Let me give an example of coming to this insight. 

      My 8 year old daughter, Joy, has been trying/learning to ride her bicycle for over a year.  We've had training wheels on, and off, on, and off, and back on.  While never speaking the words of "you just can't ride a bike, and maybe never will", I'd taken on that silent attitude and given away the bike when we moved. I justified this as we were downsizing to a smaller urban house without the "safe" suburban streets, and thought to myself "she really doesn't like trying to ride anymore."   Three weeks ago while at my parent's home one Sunday afternoon, I remembered a little girl's bike (16 inch) up in the attic and thought "I wonder if Joy would like to try riding this bike out here on the farm?"  We found the bike in storage, pumped up the tires and off she went!  What a pleasant surprise-----for me however, the look of accomplishment on her face was PRICELESS!  We took the bike back our house and as a family went on a Saturday afternoon 8 mile round trip on the Capital Area "Greenway". 

What's the Capital Area Greenway?

It is a network of public open spaces and recreational trails which provide for activities such as walking, jogging, hiking, bird watching, nature study, fishing, picnicking and outdoor fun. These trails connect many of Raleigh’s parks and many of the city’s major ecological features can be experienced in their natural state along the Greenway. The Capital Area Greenway opened in March 1974 in response to concerns over rapid growth and urbanization. Today it is a 63 mile – 3000 acre system and continues to grow.

As we rode our bikes that day, taking turns leading and setting the pace, I had a memory from several years ago of riding my bike with my husband and dreaming of having a "family afternoon" just such as this!  Then it hit me!  I'd held a vision of this experience in my heart for many years and here it was manifesting before my eyes! This is without a doubt one of the highlights of my parenting years.  Riding our bikes as a family in a natural setting, yet still in the city is a fulfillment of a vision I've held since I was pregnant with my daughter almost a decade ago! It's good exercise and it's using "people power" versus electricity.   I plan to spend a lot more time outdoors with my rediscovered and my daughter's newly found passion of bicycle riding.