Let Kids be Kids

Our gracious hosts in Madrid even connected us with another couple with a boy around the same age as Nora. And the two of them hit it off. Both liked to throw and kick balls, feed ducks and run. That was enough to become immediate best friends.

One of my favorite moments was during our lunch on a patio of a local Greek place. We placed the two kids on the sidewalk beside the patio, gave them magnet tiles and let them be. They sprawled over most the sidewalk, but given that it was a smaller local street, everyone seemed okay with it. And it was nice to just leave them alone to play.

Spain has been really great for letting kids be kids. And the boundaries between strangers and our family seem far less solid. We've had neighbouring tables play with our crying girls. At a park the other night, and elderly woman sat down at our table and rocked Maeve. When Nora is ripping through the grocery store with the cart, passerbys aren't upset, but willing to push her into the right direction.