What if…
- My kids were taught that only smooth, paved surfaces are safe?
- Their feet were always trapped inside shoes, their toes never touching the earth, the mud, the rocks, the morning dew, the afternoon heat?
- Fear of the “dirty world” was instilled in them at a young age, forcing them to constantly keep their hands clean?
- They were always asked to hurry up, to walk the pace, to stop “wasting” time, to keep up?
- In their minds, insects were pests, squirrels were dirty, frogs were slimy and snakes were gross?
- The stains on their clothing were things to be ashamed of?
- Scraped knees were the end of the world?
What would their lives be filled with? What wonders would they never get to experience? How different their world would be…
Go off-road my friends. Life is limitless if you let your feet wonder.
About Yanic A.
Hello to all of you and thank you for stopping by!
My name is Yanic. I'm a wife to a wonderful husband, a mother of 2 beautifully complex and unique children and a lover of all things inspiring. Having started a personal journey of self discovery when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter 4 years ago, I've since embraced a daily life of simpler pleasures and gratitude. As we get to know each other, you will know me as a quilter, a gardener, a Tao cultivator, a vegetarian foodie, a true believer in a healthy family life as being the secret to my happiness and hopefully as time goes on, a friend... I will try to share with you my days as they unfold, speaking of my happy successes without censoring my challenges, trying to make this blog a true portrait of the ever-changing path that I have chosen for myself.
I'm hoping to find in these pages others to share with and learn from, bringing to light the absolute connection in all things and people, showing this world as being a true community.
Family, Faith, Food and Fabric 
Whenever I mention that my 9yo should change his shirt because it has a stain on it, his response is “I don’t care.” Just yesterday I suggested to him that we go for weekly walks in the woods or biking some trail.
LikeLiked by 1 person
haha! My daughter loves playing dress up, but it has nothing to do with stains. I really just thinks she likes the action of getting dressed and undressed. I was once asked “how I could possibly let my kids walk around with stained clothes”… we were at the park. Yes! Get in nature… My son hiked 4 kilometers last week-end (about 2 1/2 miles)… he is 2 yo. The younger you get them out there, the more it will be a part of who they are. I hope you have amazing adventures!!!!
LikeLike
Such a beautiful place! I have so many happy childhood memories of days spent at the creeksand lakes, playing in mud, chasing crayfish, catching tadpoles and frogs, skipping stones…and then I had the joy of doing it all over again with my children. Hopefully someday with my grandchildren.
And while it has been a simple and natural part of our lives, I have seen many families that never experience the freedom and joy we have experienced in nature.
Thank you for sharing, and reminding me of such good things.
LikeLike
You are most welcome. This is a regional park in the mountains about 1 hour South East of here. It was the first time we’ve ever taken the kids. Believe me, we will be going back once fall has started it’s technicolor show! I’m in the same place… so much time exploring as a child. So many wonderful memories. I needed my children to have these memories as well. So much joy. And yes, too many choose a different path and I try to never judge just encourage. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
They would have a very different life indeed. What lucky children to be able to experience life this way!
LikeLike
It is how my husband and I were raised. The outdoors was where we lived every waken moment we weren’t in school. Too many kids don’t have that opportunity. It’s our job to make sure they get as much time outside isn’t it? And it’s good for mama too so win win! 🙂
LikeLike
Lovely photos, Yanic, as always. And that getting dirty and be out in nature message is good for all of us at any age. Course, not sure I agree with your stance on snakes. 😱
LikeLike
Thank you…LOL! Seeing her first garter snake this summer was one of her most precious highlights. That and learning to hold frogs and toads with a dear new friend. We used to have a betta fish and my daughter would put her hands in the bowl to pet him. She always said that he felt soft… She has an amazing soul. 🙂
LikeLike
Looks like an amazing spot for an adventure 🙂 I am not sure I would like to know a world where those “what ifs” were reality. Lucky for our kiddos they aren’t.
LikeLike
Yes they are! And this is one of our favorite spots. The Foot bridge Trail (Sentier des Passerelles) is right out of a fairy tale. When you guys come visit one day, we will make a day out of it.
LikeLike
Oh I love love love your post…. Oh bien sûr moi aussi mes enfants sont toujours pied-nus plus vite que leur ombre et ont souvent des tâches partout mais ça ne me dérange pas quand on profite du bonheur d’être dehors !!!! Quel bonheur se lit dans les yeux de tes enfants :)))
LikeLike
Merci Sandra… Un enfants laissé libre dans la nature qui l’entoure ne peut faire autrement que s’épanouir. Quel régâle pour les sens. C’est la même chose que je ressens quand je visite ton espace. Tes enfants sont tellement remplis de joie de vivre..
LikeLike
great post!
LikeLike
THank you very much… 🙂
LikeLike
I think the values you are instilling–explore, be curious, have fun, get dirty, embrace nature–are so wonderful and important. I know kids who won’t go into a lake because they’ve only swum in chlorinated pools and think real water is icky. Your kids are going to be at one with the world and care for their environment.
LikeLike
Oh how I do hope so Kerry… I would want nothing better than my kids to live their lives close to what surrounds them, understanding deeply that we are all connected. The only thing we can really do is to live by example. 🙂
LikeLike
love these thoughts! you are absolutely right. love seeing your beautiful family in it’s element 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you Jenny. We came back from it with a Little Miss that was asking us when we would go camping next. I really do believe kiddos thrive the best in nature. We are lucky to have some amazing nature really close by.
LikeLike
Oh what a gorgeous spot! I’m with you right up to the snakes – I’m really not keen on them but I’m proud to say that the one and only time I’ve seen a grass snake in the wild in this country I tiptoed the girls closer, whispered about it and took pictures before beating a hasty retreat!!
LikeLike
Haha! That is me with spiders. I have this crawly-skin reaction to spiders, but I’ve learned to be at peace with it. My daughter adores them… Charlotte’s Web is of course one of her favorites and she would have them all over the yard if she could. So you learn to love them… What we do for our kiddos! 🙂
LikeLike
That ‘what if’ world sounds a very miserable version of our own world. And the saddest thing feels to me that, for those children who live in that world, they don’t actually realise there’s anything more out there 😦 That spot looks gorgeous for a hike, and what amazing fungus you captured.
LikeLike
What really saddens me is that those kids also think this what-if world is the norm. I wish every child could get a true glimpse of nature… how brighter would their world be?
LikeLike
Beautiful post, sadly I know the answer to these questions. Your kids would grow up to be like my husband. Hopefully though they would find a country bumpkin like me later in their lives that could reopen some of those locked and forbidden doors. It’s never to late to open back up to the beauty and wonder of this wild and wonderful world…. But he still won’t go barefoot 😉 shine on.
LikeLike
Hey! I LOOOOOOOOVE nature and I’M still not the biggest fan of wet grass or sand on my feet. LOL!
Your hubby is lucky to have you and yes, it’s never too late! 🙂
LikeLike
I love this post so much, Yanic!!! I agree wholeheartedly! Let the kids play, get their feet in the mud, run barefoot through the fields, feel the sun on their backs. What you know intimately, you are much more likely to treat well and protect. Not to mention fostering the endless wonder of children. May that spirit of curious exploration continue to shine throughout their lives!
LikeLike
So well said! It always makes me a little sad when I hear of kids that were thought that “nature is dirty”… And especially since reading so much about sensory processing the last few months, I realize how much worse my son could have developped if I had that view of the natural world.
LikeLiked by 1 person