my child, the stroller

When was the last time you stopped to admire the tufts of grass - okay, weeds - growing up through the cracks in the sidewalk? I got to experience this treat on my walk with Noah this morning. A rare pleasure - Sam and Caleb are in Kansas with Papa George and Grandma Sarah... Noah lasted in his stroller for about 5 minutes before he wanted to get out and push it himself. His favorite thing is to tip the stroller up on the back wheels and run with it, crying "WHEEE!!" But every few seconds, he would stop and look. At the duck on the pond, at the weeds in the sidewalk, at the stick in the grass. Any sound would also stop him in his tracks. "Ay-pane!" "Bug!" "Oooahhooo!" (Police siren). Then he'd look at me for verification. "Yep, a plane!" "Do you hear bugs in the woods?" "Oh, do you hear the police siren?" To which he'd respond, "Yah!" It hit me that I needed to go as slowly as he wanted because he was doing something that few take the time for. He was enjoying God's creation. He found interest and wonder in things I typically zip right by because we need to "get to the park".
So my new goal is this: So often our many frustrations with our children come out when we're going somewhere, or trying to. I am going to attempt to make the getting there more fun than the "there". Then maybe my children will learn to appreciate the little things and not always be in a hurry to get to the next place or activity.