It’s nice to have a routine
The King of Everything and I miss school. It’s not school so much, persay, as we’ve been having a great time being vacation bums and playing with all the wonderful toys he got for Christmas. We miss the underlying 
structure that school gives us: up at a certain time, out the door, walk to school, etc. We’re kind of sloppy right now. Breakfast doesn’t happen when it should, and we can stay in our pj’s all day if we’ve half a mind. And let me tell you, when I’m not working full time, I feel like I’ve got about half a mind.
There is something to be said for the simple ritual of the everyday, especially now, after the holidays. We shouldn’t have to wait until October before creating the rituals that anchor a child’s memory firmly to an adored past…
My favorite daily ritual is walking the KoE to school. Some days it can take us 40 minutes to travel three blocks. We have to run and jump on all the manhole covers and utility covers in the sidewalk from here to there (currently, we’ve found 67 along the way, and I just noticed where the water access covers are on the last stretch before school!). There is a patch of milkweed pods that we raid a couple of times a week, trying to ration them, but unable to resist the downy fairies waiting to be released on the winter wind. We have to be on the corner at a certain time to watch that guy walk his two dogs with his baby buttoned into the front of his coat. We holler good morning to our friends around the corner, all four of them and their dog, every time we pass their house in the morning (Good morning, Cole!) and we take turns tripping over a raised bit of sidewalk. We talk about serious and silly, and the seriously silly (why is there a set of golf clubs in the middle of that house’s Christmas scene?). We have a rythm of holding hands and letting go, running and meandering, climbing and running, that makes the rest of the day seem like a good dream.
As far as I’m concerned, this is the good life.
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POSTED IN: family fun, ritual
5 opinions for It’s nice to have a routine
Rory
Dec 30, 2006 at 3:55 am
It certainly sounds like the good life to me. Making the seemingly mundane and routine into a meaningful outing, and good fun? That is a real art.
christina
Dec 30, 2006 at 1:02 pm
:) hello, Rory! Nice to see you here.
We try to weave rituals into daily life; my childhood memories aren’t of the Big Things, but the little things… pomegranates in the winter, mangoes in the summer. Going to the pool. Playing hooky with my mom. I couldn’t tell you what I got for birthdays or Christmas most years, but I can remember all the things my mother and I made, the special trips with my father, the traditions particular to just our family.
Ricardo
Dec 30, 2006 at 2:35 pm
Here is a nice example of a routine that really works. It is also a great story to share with kids.
http://p6.hostingprod.com/@ricardosblog.com/blog/2006/12/the_birdfeeder_a_photo_story.html
angel
Dec 30, 2006 at 5:54 pm
that sounds truly spectacular! my son’s trip to school happens by car- its quite some distance- but some days we also chat about a lot of stuff… depending on his mood when he wakes up of course!
Christina
Dec 30, 2006 at 8:57 pm
I know it’s a bit idealistic but I’d love to always live in walking distance to my son’s school. I’m a big fan of walkable life. I don’t believe in cars. I like the pace of life required by not having a car.
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