I work in tech. I absolutely am surrounded by the IT world, phones, computers, devices and more. At 4 pm, I stop…

This is probably the only thing that saves me. I am obsessed with nature and my garden. However, I have 4 kids and a full time job in the software world where I lead a 20 person department. So when I stop, it doesn’t just turn off. It takes time for my brain to say stop worrying about that thing that was supposed to be done today at work, or that proposal you were supposed to send, or that meeting you have tomorrow. Those thoughts linger and take time to exit my brain as I go into my phone to see what messages I missed.


Then I go into mom/dinner mode which is get dinner on the table as fast as you can and pray that you can give them a healthy balanced meal fast enough before their activities, homework, and fun time. Then it’s a little bit of play time/clean up time, and bed. Round and round we go like machines.

We need top truly stop and be conscious of it. It’s okay if you eat dinner later or if you mix up dinner that day or if you need help. But we need to learn how to stop and be present in that one moment of peace when your brain is learning to decompress from the hectic work day.

So I decide to take a walk with my 1 year old son. Sometimes it’s the whole family, sometimes it’s 2 kids. Today it is: Me, him, the stroller, and nature. He is wow-ed by EVERY tree and shrub. You don’t need to go to some fancy hiking place or park if you can’t, you don’t need to go pay somewhere to go into a “naturey” place. You just need a few trees or shrubs or rocks.

But this doesn’t come naturally. YOU need to install this amazement by trees and nature. Every time we walk by a tree, I say “Wowwww, nice tree” and then I pet the leaves and I show him to touch. Then he wants to touch and feel different textures. And as we walk, the stroller is so close to the shrubs. He puts his hands out and just rubs his hands on every leaf he can find. We do this almost every day and we have been doing that since he was 1 month old. Now, he’s 1 year old and I will tell you, this week, this is the first time he wanted me to stop the stroller so that he can say “WOWWW..” and hug the leaves. So I go around our neighborhood, no technology, my brain unloading, the older kids waiting on dinner, while I let him be fully obsessed with nature. It feeds him, he feeds me, and then I can feed not only myself but the rest of the family with positive energy. It’s a vicious and contagious cycle of positivity.

Trees, shrubs, and leaves, do amazing things. I let him touch them, I let him take the leaves, I let him sniff them, sometimes even he puts them in his mouth because he then feels all the textures, the tastes, the smells, and more. All his senses are activated. And as I watch him, my senses are activated it. And all of a sudden, I forget about my crazyness, my technology, my proposals, and all I think about is his smile and his connection with the things he’s touching. And this didn’t happen just today. This obsession with trees and shrubs started the moment I walked with him when he was 2 months old, and then EVERY single time after. That is the same with my other kids. Some of them outgrow that obsession but at least, they have the foundation built to know that when we do go to the park, the beach, or a hike, they zone out to feel the benefits of nature instead of pulling out their phone.

Get your baby nature-obsessed early on. I promise you, it will not just be good for them, but it fill force connectivity, positivity, and nature’s protective blanket for you.

RESOURCES: Some resources about why nature is so good and some fun ideas on your walks or explorations:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-trees-so-important-your-childs-brain-margaret-cutler/
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/oli-reed/are-all-babies-obsessed-b_b_12796746.html
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/engaging-toddlers-nature-play