Sand, one of the Earth's great gifts.

Yesterday, I took the grandsons to the park where we played in the giant sandbox. It amazes me how many people bring their children to the giant sandbox with no toys. These poor little children sit and let the sand fall through their hands, and you see their frustration at not having anything to do, in the giant sandbox. The parents want to sit and read or watch for honeys and scold the little ones when they are not allowed to sit in peace. Fortunately, I had plenty of toys to share and before long our corner of the box was filled with children and the big kids were making tunnels and roads and castles and the little ones were just digging and filling the many containers that I brought. The older ones, I sent to the water faucet to fill bottles with water so the sand would be nice and wet. Some of the parents, who were sitting on the sidelines, kept trying to scold the kids for getting loud or wild or dirty. I finally said, “Hey, you bring them to the park to use their out door voices and to play. Leave these babies alone.” Needless to say, the children loved me and the adults were left with no recourse but to let the old woman rule. My point, I am queen of the sand box. I am the pied piper and the children didn’t want us to leave. My seven-year-old said, “Nana, those kids really liked us.” I said, “Yep, they really liked you and the baby.” He smiled, his ego boosted about ton.
My observation, leave the kids alone, let them play, let them be loud, let them get dirty and when you get them home, fill the tub with water, wash the sand off and the children will be tired and full of stories and memories and will rest good. They will have had time to experience one of earth’s great treasures, sand, and to children, sand is more precious than gold.

One of these weekends, I am getting that granddaughter up here and we are going to the giant sandbox with shovels and containers and I am going to show her how to build a castle. Her mother will just have to deal with her getting sand in her hair. It, like paint, will eventually come out, with enough washing.