Whitehorse has been getting an unusually long spring this year. And springtime brings with it a lot of water, which, in turn, gives us something that children can’t seem to get enough of.
Mud. More specifically, mud puddles.
Now, when I think of mud puddles, I’m immediately brought back to the classic Robert Munsch storybook. Mud Puddle tells the tale of Jule Ann, a young girl who is continuously ambushed and covered from head to toe by a mischievous pile of mud in her backyard. The battle between them leads to many baths and to Jule Ann’s eventual victory over her dirty opponent, with pockets full of soap. It’s a fun story, but one that doesn’t exactly paint the picture of mud being something fun and enjoyable.
This is not true for my son—and for most children in the Yukon. Heck, for children all over the world.
Playing in mud can be an unbelievably pleasurable pastime for little ones. Not only does it provide a sensory-filled experience for them, but it allows them to get down-and-dirty and just be kids.
In fact, I’m sure many of us can still recall the utter joy of splashing and squishing through mud as children. We weren’t worried about the mess we were making or whether our clothes would need a good cleaning afterwards. Mud puddles provided an opportunity for us to let loose, to stomp and to get messy.
It just made us happy. And it still does.
Heck, mud baths have been used for centuries and are widely offered as spa-treatment options all across the globe. Science has shown that mud baths offer a wide variety of benefits, including relaxation and detoxification properties. So maybe there really is a reason that we, as human beings, are just instinctively drawn to mud.
I know with my son, watching him play in the mud is something that always brings a smile to my face. Keep in mind that this is a child who does not normally like to get dirty. He refuses to finger paint—not liking the paint marking up his hands. And he continuously wants to change, should a drop of water or juice land on an item of his clothing.
Yet, when in the presence of mud, he just can’t help himself. His need to explore it—to dig into it and to squish it in-between his fingers—wins out, and he jumps right in.
Just recently, on a trip to the playground, some of the melted snow had mixed with the sand to create giant mud puddles all over the place. He was in heaven. And I watched him move from one to the next, completely engaged in exploration. One moment he was dropping pebbles into them; the next he was jumping into the puddles to see how high he could splash. I watched him use sticks to write out his letters before gathering pine cones to create little stories and landscapes.
It was childhood in its purest of forms and I was mesmerized by these five puddles of mud and how they could create so many stimulating learning experiences for my son. I also remember how my adult brain kicked in and I started wishing that I had put him in his rainboots before we left the house.
That thought made me laugh to myself how, as adults, we need to plan to have fun. It’s so easy to let those invasive thoughts in as a grown-up. My son wasn’t worried about having rain boots. Getting his sneakers dirty wasn’t going to stop him from having a good time. And while it is not always great to let items of clothing get ruined, I did sit there and think about what he would have missed out on if I had stopped him.
So I let him continue while making a mental note to have him wear his boots next time. Because the happiness on his face was worth it. The things he was learning and the memories he was making were also worth it.
I know that summer is just around the corner and that the warm weather will definitely lower the number of mud puddles that we come across. So, in the meantime, my son and I will be on the lookout for more of these puddles of mud and the opportunities for play that they invite.
Because, after all, life is always more fun when you can get a little messy with your kids, right?
Right.
