I’m Not Crazy
If you saw me walking my son to school in -2 degrees this morning, I promise, I’m NOT crazy.
Sure, it LOOKS like I’m crazy, but let me give you the back story.
The Back Story
When we lived in a suburb of a big city – we drove 20 minutes to get to school.
In that time, my little guy would be getting more anxious about what was ahead.
We waited in the car line, a different person would get him each day, then a walk down the long hall, hang up coats and bag and ~ finally ~ get to his room.
For lots of kids, this was an easy and fun part of the day!
For my anxious little one – it was filled with worry.
I would plan it out to make it as easy as possible: read him a story while we waited, try to be the first one there or the last one, have him eat an apple to take his mind off off his worry – I tried EVERYTHING.
Sometimes, it worked.
Sometimes, it ended in tears.
Big Blessing, Small Town
One of the biggest blessings of Covid was the chance to live in a small town with – a lot – of walkability!
It didn’t take away all the anxiety, but the simplicity changed our lives.
Which brings me to one of the coldest days of the school year.
It wasn’t even a decision.
The sun was out. There wasn’t any wind. We were walking to school!
Top 3 Benefits of Walking to School (According to me, not studies)
While many studies reflect the academic benefits, for my little guy, it’s the mental wellbeing that matters to me.
- Connection – Our neighbor once told me that she loved listening to our conversations as we passed her open window. Whether we’re pretending to be prehistoric giants or he’s talking about the chickadee that he hears, we’re connecting emotionally as we walk.
- Mindset – The walk gives us a chance to slow down – physically and mentally – after the morning routine of dressing, brushing, eating and, sometimes, rushing. The movement gives us a chance to reset our minds as we prepare for our day ahead.
- Movement – Remember when schools used to have kids stay outside before the bell rang? It was genius because we all ran around before we had to go in and focus on work. Our walk to school is essentially that – a time to give that active energy the output it needs to be able to do his best once he’s inside.
#MomLove Decisions
The hashtag #momlife is very popular. I like #momlove because, really, isn’t that what we’re all doing as we make choices each day for our kids.
Julie Kelley, Truly Jude Founder
(I wrote about another GOOD choice that I made early in the pandemic – it may help your kids feel less anxious too! SATURDAY MORNING PAUSE)
Love is what had me bundling him (and me!) up to walk to school this morning. I feel very blessed to have the choice to do it.
Truly,
Julie
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir