I live in Connecticut. This means trees… everywhere. Recently, it has occurred to me that dealing with trees is similar to rearing children. Here are some lessons I’ve learned by observing trees and kids.
TREES AND KIDS ARE MESSY
Come early May, trees around here make their presence known. We start to see a lot of this…
And then a week later this…
And there is always a lot of this…
Next up will be tiny inchworms swinging from invisible threads, catching in my hair when I go retrieve the mail!
All of this just reminds me of living in a house full of children. Children drop stuff wherever they go: dolls, toys, Wii controls, hair ties, dirty socks, artwork, crayons, sports gear, food wrappers, flash drives… you name it! To keep the mess at bay, don’t let it pile up.
If I don’t regularly remove the tree debris from my driveway, I’m eventually going to have difficulty driving out. Likewise, if the various childhood supplies are left strewn about, they will ultimately interfere with household movement, and may get lost or damaged. Help your kids by making sure there is a designated “home” for all of their belongings, and then make it a priority to regularly put things away.
BOTH KIDS AND TREES ARE ALWAYS GROWING
Each year I hire a tree company to trim, prune, and even cable limbs and branches. In spite of all the storms, our trees just keep getting bigger. And so it goes with children. In the first year of life alone, babies go through about four sizes of clothes. And it doesn’t end there: teenage boys seem to need new pants every three months.
The best way to cope with this reality is to expect and plan for changing needs.
- Always keep a donation bag on the floor of the closet so you can easily pitch in anything they’ve outgrown.
- At the end of the season, don’t save clothes that “just fit” … they will likely be too small come next year.
- Look ahead and plan for special events to make sure you will have what you need (e.g. a sports jacket for the family wedding, dress shoes for the dance, cleats for spring baseball, etc.)
CHILDREN AND TREES ARE EVER-CHANGING
One minute the trees are just budding, then they leaf out, and in a few short months, they are dropping leaves. The same is true with children: you finally figure out their preferences and dislikes, and suddenly… they change their minds.
To keep your home from becoming a graveyard of unwanted paraphernalia, keep your easily accessible spaces stocked with only current supplies. Your child has decided he’s no longer interested in the flute and now wants to play soccer ? Move the music supplies out of the way and bring in the shin guards. Your daughter will no longer wear bows in her hair? Get them out of the bathroom and make space for the hair straightener! In the garage, put out of season supplies in the back or up high and make sure kids can easily reach and return the items they are using today.
BOTH TREES AND KIDS ARE WORTH IT
Even though trees drop stuff all over my yard, need attention, and cost me money, I have to admit they are truly wonderful. They provide shade, make a beautiful sound in the wind, add color to my life, and attract the birds I love to watch. And although they require an immense amount of work and investment, children also add joy, challenge, wonder, and delight.
With both trees and children, it sure is nice to periodically just sit back and enjoy them.
Do you have trees and/or children in your life? What lessons would you add?
I could not love this comparison more if I tried and you are so right children and trees are constantly changing, so we have to keep up as best as we can 😉
Janine Huldie recently posted…Crazy, But All Girls Worry About Their Appearance
I’m so glad you liked it, Janine! You’ve got it exactly right.. keeping up as best we can!
I love the comparison you made between trees and children. I definitely love trees! I feel so incomplete if there are no trees around. And yeah, it’s funny how quick children change their minds. It’s crazy! 🙂
Rea recently posted…The Day I Wanted to Delete my Blog
I have a whole house full of supplies for activities my children tried, and then moved on from. It’s an ever-evolving picture!
Yes i have kids and trees, and yes you are right I wouldn’t trade either one. Our tree in our backyard is in a slow decline, and for the last 14 years we have lived in this house, it has provided shade for my son to play in his sandbox when he was little, a place for the beautiful cardinals to sing in, and a real focal point. Great post.
Jill Robson recently posted…Teach your children well
Sounds like a beautiful tree you have, Jill. Messy, but worth it. Love that you have memories of your son at different ages there:)
right on, there are some days they go to bed and less than eight hours later they are different…it’s annoying but amazing.
karen recently posted…Book Review Blog Hop #1
That is such a great way to say it, Karen… amazing and annoying. Motherhood is so much about adapting “on the fly” ! BUT, it is an amazing and wondrous journey:)
Trees are messy! And the way children pass me their colds, trees pass me their allergens. I’m fine with grass and flowers, etc. but these trees are doozies!
And the dead leaves in the garden – wow. That was a messy time.
Tamara recently posted…I Want To Be The Girl With The Most Cake.
Oh good one on the passing on of colds… I think I sick for about 6 years. I don’t know how preschool teachers do it! I imagine if you life in a climate where there aren’t big trees, taking care of your property is just easier:)
We have fruit trees and they are such a mess! The peaches I love, but I’m not so crazy about the apples – they are little hard green ones, kind of like Granny Smiths. So, I invite all the Mormon ladies in my neighborhood to come and pick them all. They are delighted and I don’t have to worry about all the mess from the trees.
Adrian recently posted…Headshots and Business Cards, Oh My!
Okay, the image of a yard full of Mormon ladies picking apples is making me smile this morning! Fruit trees are extra tricky because the fallen fruit attracts creatures, right? I love your practical solution!!
Creative post! You forgot to mention the messy, sticky sap and the yucky messes of potty training! Got anything for me in that department?? All kidding aside, I couldn’t agree with your analogy more. Watching my son blossom and watching the blooms pop is pure delight!
It’s funny you should say that — I just got hit with something sticky while I was outside cleaning up!! I think the potty training analogy might have more to do with the birds in the trees than the trees themselves (wink, wink, nod, nod)
“Expect and plan for change”
Wow! That is important but hard to implement! It goes against our natural grain to anticipate and participate in change. But the more we do, the better we feel and more organized we are.
Thanks for sharing this great analogy!
Thanks for reading, Ellen:) I think many people are simply trying to keep their heads above water in the present, which I totally understand. Yet, anytime we can head off a crisis with a little planning, the reduction in stress is a big payoff.
You see them every day for years, then the kids grow up and move out, so you see them less often, and you downsize to a smaller home and only see your old trees when you go for a nostalgia drive, but you never stop loving them.
Janet Barclay recently posted…Tips for Organizing Business Events
That’s so true, Janet! Shortly after we moved from our old home, we drove by (we moved within our town) and saw that the new owners had taken down a favorite tree… a huge Japanese maple that my girls had climbed in. We all felt quite sad about it. There is definitely an emotional connection to our trees/nature that we don’t often consciously acknowledge.
I love this post! Very thoughtful! We have a neighborhood church who just named their pre-school Small Oaks. They also have a Bible Study for everyone called Acorn to Oak. I thought you could appreciate that! 🙂
I love both of these, Autumn! Our community really loves trees as well… nobody takes down a tree unless it is absolutely necessary. Causes some problems when big storms blow through, but we really love the way it looks around here come October!
Hi Seana, I have a huge maple tree in my back yard which creates a beautiful umbrella in the summer. I think we can learn so much from trees and children too. They know when it is time to change, they don’t need to wait for permission or approval. I actually have a love/hate relationship with my tree as it is a lot of work but I wouldn’t cut it down for the world. Great post!!
Kim recently posted…Help for Hoarders Facing Eviction – What can you do?
That’s me too, Kim. Love/hate relationship. Sometimes I’m even a little afraid, when they start swaying in high wind! But they add so much, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you point about them knowing when it is time to change and not needing permission – that is right one, for kids and trees!
Love this comparison, Seana! lol You could say that trees will likely be one little sprout one day then tower over you the next!
Nina recently posted…Parent Child Connection: Why You Need to Be Your Child’s Biggest Influence
Absolutely true, Nina! they both grow so fast. We put some evergreen trees in along the back of our property… one a year (since they are expensive). I am AMAZED to see the difference from the one we put in year one versus the one we put in last year!
Great analogy post! Very clever. I have huge trees that I have grown and feed since they were saplings — 20 years this year. You could call them my oldest babies. My willow tree needs a “hair cut” at least 3 times a year. Lol or we won’t be able to mow under it. My Washington Hathor tree is prickly and needs extra care or it will hurt anything that goes near it. And my dogwood needs to be protected from the birds that make it their home. Just to name a few. Thanks for sharing. This is great!
Sabrina Q. recently posted…8 QUICK TIPS TO OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION THIS SUMMER
Sounds like you have a beautiful property, Sabrina. I’ve never heard of a Washington Hathor tree! I love my dogwoods, but they are “delicate.” So fun to enjoy them, especially at this time of year:)
Not being a mom, or having a lot of trees, I often compare the maintenance of organizing systems to the need to have your hair trimmed, or to mow your lawn, on a regular basis. They’re ALL worth it!
Hazel Thornton recently posted…“But I paid good money for that!” (a.k.a. The Sunk Cost of Clutter)
Oh yes, Hazel, can’t agree more about the hair and the lawn! It is constant maintenance:)
I love the way you compared the two, and the tree photos are really pretty!
Marcia @ Menopausal Mother recently posted…Fly On The Wall In A Cuckoo’s Nest
Thanks, Marcia:) The trees are pretty – that is their major “plus” for sure!
We have huge plan trees in our neighborhood and in the Spring they are so messy. Kind of like the kids at the end of the school year. Such a fun comparison! Thanks!
Andi Willis recently posted…Just In Case: The Three Most Dangerous Words
Oh yes, Andi… the end of the school year – that is such a cluttered time! And then they go off to college, and when they move home at the end of the year you are trying to find space to put a whole apartment’s worth of stuff. Too funny!
a very lovely, and true, analogy. enjoy those changes and this long weekend. xx, dana
I too am enjoying the extra breath of a long weekend. Thanks for stopping by, Dana!
LOL, fun comparison!! But I think trees are slightly less messier! hehe! 😉 – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Gingi recently posted…Updates on Legalizing Miniature Goats in Visalia, California
They make their presence known in a BIG way here!! I guess each climate has its “things”….
Haha. I love this comparison. I feel like in the six months Caleb’s been in our lives we’ve already had to change up our organizational system for his stuff so many times!!!
Susannah recently posted…All He Wanted Was to Wrestle That Bear – Caleb’s Six Month Update
I’m afraid change is the new normal when it comes to children’s stuff.. they just grow so fast and their needs are constantly shifting. Less is more, though. We often just buy more stuff than they need. It’s all good, though, right?