
Along this winding path of parenthood, I’ve discovered the power of place with little ones. Over the years we have found a few wild spots outdoors that we visit routinely, mostly ever single week, no matter the season or the weather. We notice the snow-covered ground, the plants as they first emerge, the blossoms and the seeds… and the bedtime rituals by Mother Nature once again. We have time to notice subtle details and changes that would pass us by if we didn’t know the place better. Like how the dew smells differently and hangs on plants in November… and March. It’s truly wonderful, especially for very little ones who are just expanding outside of their own body and home.
I like to think of these places of ours as Kindred Places. Like kindred friends, we know these places better, trust them and find real joy in exploring with them. There’s a certain intangible something that makes them more special to us. Kindred Places means investing in a relationship that builds slowly over time with lots and lots of occasions to relate. That means repetition and routine. Sometimes my adult self craves new adventures and visits to new places and while all of that can be really exciting and important for children too, nothing seems to beat a visit to one of our Kindred Places.
Now it’s entirely possible this is all related to our living in the middle of a city, and the need for us to spend lots of time in the wild, so to speak, since it isn’t right outside our own front door. I’m not sure because this is all I’ve ever know and the only place I’ve parented in. Part of me thinks the idea of Kindred Places is quite universal, however, and a comforting part of every little one’s life.





