Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Wiggle Your Waggles Away

After reading Teacher Tom's post about movement in preschool I started thinking about how much movement kids are do at home. I'm thinking that kids with bigger houses than mine have playrooms where they can move. Or a yard on the same level as the rest of the house. They don't need to do most of their moving inside, in the main living space, but mine do. After all, I live in Seattle, where it is often too cold and rainy to venture out (for me, not for them). So we play on the furniture.
I know many parents have rules about the furniture and enforce them well, but I am not one of those parents. The only rule I can consistently enforce is "No feet on the table". Everything else is up for grabs. My kids jump on every piece of furniture I own. When they want a snack out of the cupboards they get a stool and climb up on the counter. Yep. Icky dirty feet on the counter.

They regularly watch TV upside-down on the back of the sofa. This looks like a wonderful back stretch, doesn't it? Beds are for jumping on in our house. Sleep is just for those too tired to jump.
The stairs are rolling, sliding and bumping down. Often face first. Even when they were very little.
I know. You're horrified. I am a permissive mother. Although my kids have regular bumps and bruises, they've never had broken limbs, concussions, or stitches. Not a single one. In fact, they may be less likely to get seriously injured because they have so much practice time with balancing, shifting weight, and judging their own strength. I watch them carefully, of course, but I never, ever ask them to sit still. Those wiggles are not just going to go away on their own, I figure.