as free as the wind blows

Liz, Steve, and the kids were in town last weekend. Due to bad directions, they ended up a few blocks away from the park we were supposed to meet at only to find a new, better park. Serendipitous! Max and I spent awhile at the new park yesterday. He could run free and explore without the threat of busy roads. He particularly enjoyed the bridge and sand pile. He loves throwing and dropping things to see how they land. He ended up with sand all over his back from his wind-up. He also went all Peter Pan for a few minutes as he played with his shadow. He ran circles on the sidewalk to watch his shadow do the same. He would come sit down on my lap here and there to rest his chubby legs. It was a nice time, nicer than if there had been other kids around. I'm still not a fan of random park kids. It's more the dynamic with the mothers. There is this unspoken rule that you can't let your kids figure things out for themselves; you have to intervene if your kid is somehow disturbing another kid or vice versa. Anyway, I let Max run free and explore... because there weren't any busy streets or hovering moms.