In My Life 'Rowan, Growing into Himself, His Way'

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As the school term ends, so do my lovely days with Rowan.  Phew! thank goodness it's only for two weeks, as the sailor and I will miss the little guy popping in for breakfast every morning and hanging out with us during the day.

Over the past nine weeks I have watched Rowan blossom, not only in stature but in his cognitive and social development.  He has the wonderful ability to play, he is building the foundations for his future.  Each day I arrange different and varied baskets of activities for his day's play.  On sunny days I open the french doors so he can wander in and out, he builds, he dances, he paints and draws, he splashes and sploshes in tubs of water, he digs and frollicks with the poodles, but most of all he loves playing with his collection of 'Thomas The Tank' engines..........On other days, Rowan is just as happy to come along with me to work, he accompanies me to meetings, visits showrooms and happily plays in the studio whilst I work on my projects.  We chat about about mummy at school, Daddy in the city, Pa at the factory and Louis and Hugo at home, waiting for us, we count, we pick out colours, we cut and paste, all in a days work, with Nana.

Yesterday, after visiting a lucky boy who is getting a brand new room, we walked along Oxford Street, Paddington, a lady stopped to say hello, she told me how beautiful Rowan was, she had been observing me shopping with him, hearing his cheerful  hellos and goodbyes to the people he met in the shops, she watched him patiently wait for the man at the juice shop making him a juice and how he tried to say pleeesshhhh with a big cheesy grin.   I smiled at her and thanked her for her lovely comments, then I told her this is Rowan, this is his beautiful way, and this is my daughter's beautiful way.  She then asked me for my recipe.

 I replied......

In my experience of being mum to three intelligent, accomplished women, and Nana and carer for Rowan, I believe there is no special formula for growing the perfect child.  No amount of Reggio Emilia in the classroom, Montessorie or Stenier will grow your perfect child.  It's you, your family, your ways, your true to yourself and others,  being humble and happy and like a big sponge your child will absorb all of this goodness and build the foundations for life.