The Garden School Tattler

Today we're off to the lake. We are taking a picnic and going touring first to Cave in Rock. It's something we do every year.

Last night Edith and I were enjoying old friends and new friends at a party, and we mentioned we were taking 35 kids to Pounds Hollow. There were claims of bravery bestowed upon us and all kinds of wonderful kudos which we appreciated very much, but when you think about it what his easier - staying inside in a building all day every day or taking children out where they can explore?

Watching the faces of kids see and do new stuff is what life is all about. It's not about color sheets and sitting properly at the table and spending a hateful hour in the heat on the playground. It's about exploration and seeing new stuff.

But what about the work? I dare any parent to say that spending any part of a day with a very young child isn't difficult at times. But compared to sitting in an office and staring at a computer for eight hours and then being nice to some boss and some impossible client is not nearly as rewarding as being hugged by a beautiful smiling child and then watching the same wonderful and delightful child see a cave for the first time and then experience the freedom and wonder of swimming in a natural lake, running along the sand and just lying in the magnificent summer sun like a child of nature.

Most children are very well behaved on a trip. They get a little squirrely on the bus, but they can always sit with an adult. The only thing that is not manageable is a violent child. A child who assaults another or an adult is just too much to handle in public. When a child behaves violently during the week, he has to stay home. And besides, rewards should not come to children who are anti-community.

To get to the lake, we have to drive an hour out of Indiana, and then another half hour into Illinois. We have to travel some narrow roads, and once I saw a big yellow bob cat or mountain lion cross between corn fields. He was the size of a big big lab. The Shawnee National Forest is high - so the climb is pretty steep. Then it's down a spiraling road to the lake. It's wild out there and full of cliffs and beautiful scenery, but the lake is safe and clean and well kept.

This summer has been a welcoming success, and this coming year, God granting and the creek 'don't' rise, we're going to experience the zoo often and ice skating more than once a year, and the parks - near and far - if we can get there.

Friday is a great day for play because we've worked hard during the week, and before the unknown weekend, we're just going out to play.