Ciaran the Naturalist

Ciaran is so much fun to be around especially in the summer. He truly is our little naturalist. We can be walking anywhere and it is all about some bug, frog, flower or moss he sees as he is walking. The whole world needs to stop while he examines and tries to catch or conquer whatever it is.

I am so torn as a mother because I want to foster his desires and natural curiosity so I want to let him explore and look and do things on his own timetable. Yet with Ciaran everything is so exciting it demands much time and exploration and then we never can get where the rest of us want to go. I find it is a delicate balance with him, allowing the curiosity and freedom but reigning him back to the moment or task at hand as well.

It truly is amazing though to be so focused on my "goal" of getting somewhere usually to be waylaid by "Mom look at this" and then we fill in the blank with whatever amazing thing he has discovered. Sometimes I just don't want to stop and look but he is so excited and enthusiatic it is hard to deny him. But when I stop I am always thankful I did. I really am. Because of Ciaran we have had many amazing experiences this summer.

We have found many bird eggs, hatched and unhatched, we examine bird nests, find toads and frogs, catch moths and dragonflies, have butterflies land on our toes, spend 20 minutes watching a morningdove build a nest and collecting sticks to lay out for her to help her, we examine moss, climb up hills, run through trees, pick flowers, learn the names and sounds of birds, stop driving and stay still to listen to birds and frogs, we see the bugs caught in spiderwebs, look under rocks, name clouds, smell flowers, pick up leaves and acorns and a million other things along these lines.

Not a day can go by without examining in awe atleast one of God's creations. I am thankful for that I truly am and I remind myself of that whenever we get off whatever my track was and on to the track of the moment that is happening to us right now. While those traits are also exasperating to me especially when the distractions happens in other areas like when he should be cleaning his room, listening to a book or focusing on a task at hand. I need to remind myself in those difficult moments of all the blessings that come from the same trait as it plays out in his life.

If nothing else he gets us outside every day and reminds us to always examine and be thankful for the amazing creations of God as small or large as they may be. That is a trait I pray he possesses throughout the entirety of his life.