Evening Walks with My Little One Are the Best Part of My Day

“Freedom: To walk free and own no superior.”

– Walt Whitman

Spring is not officially here till next weekend but you can feel it in the air.

We just had our first warm sunny weekend. Families and kids came out of winter hibernation to play in our park.

My evening walks with T, which we start when the weather gets nicer, are my favourite part of my day – other than bedtime, let’s keep it real here. I look forward to our walks, especially after a long work day.

I prioritize and make time for them, because they are important to me.

We try to wrap up dinner by 7:00 and then head out. Sometimes, it’s a walk around the block. Other times, we take his tricycle. Most times, it’s a long detour in the nearby school playground.

It’s almost a year since we moved to our house and we love our neighbourhood. It has a sense of history with its 1960s homes and tall strong trees. You feel the family values. Our neighbours on both sides grew up as kids in the area and are now near retirement.

Our home is near a school and so the playground and field are our little kingdom on evenings and weekends.

Although it’s an older community, more young families are moving into the area and it’s nice to become familiar with the kids in the area.

What I love most about our walks is that it’s quality time with T. I am disconnected from my phone, we talk to each other, we laugh, we play.

We enjoy each other’s company in silence, not saying much, but knowing what the other is thinking and feeling from the smile, laughter and exuberant play.

The time together helps us come down from our day. And the best part is that being outside in the fresh air helps T burn his endless energy so he often gets to bed earlier at night.

It truly is the simple things in life, like our evening walks, that mean the most to me and that matter the most in the long run.

On our first weeknight walk, just last night, there were still plenty of puddles in the playground from the melted snow. T wore his blue rain boots and the hubby and him dug little trenches, with their heels, so the puddles became canals.

They worked quietly but you felt their connection and enjoyment. I stood back and enjoyed watching them work together. The hubby is often busy with his work – working long shifts – so it’s a treat when he joins us for these walks.

As we walked home in the setting sun, T reached out for the hubby’s hand and extended his other hand to me. We walked, hand in hand, Daddy, Papa and T down the street towards home.

He had a content smile on his face. Not a care in the world.