kim through
   the looking glass

I’ve been asked this question a few times lately and I thought I’d share the answer here …

None.

That’s right - all summer, we haven’t used sunscreen.

I know your next question - how many burns have you all had?

None.

That’s right - all summer, no sunscreen, no burns.

Yes, I do own sunscreen. After seeing the Environmental Working Group’s Summer 2010 Sunscreen Guide, we bought some Badger SPF 15 sunscreen, but haven’t yet used it.

Want to know my sun rules?

• Out of the sun by 11 AM - short walks are okay (ie. heading home from the park or a friends’ house)
• If outside between 11AM and 4PM, make sure it’s somewhere with plenty of shade - very little sun exposure. Toddlers do NOT understand the concept of “stay in the shade, honey!”
• Outside again after 4PM
• Hats in the sun are a must

That’s it. Seriously. All summer we have played outside before 11 and after 4, making sure we’re in the shade if we’re outside between those hours. It may seem difficult, but I’d rather respect the power of the sun than slather chemicals on me or the kids in order to protect us. And it hasn’t been hard … it’s mostly been the opposite. We’ve been following a daily rhythm with times built in to enjoy outdoor play and indoor play, respecting our bodies’ need to rest when it’s hottest outside - have you ever had any luck with asking a toddler to come sit down it’s too hot to run around? I haven’t! It also means we’re getting sun exposure to give us Vitamin D.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the summer without sunscreen

It’s odd. I’ve had a hard time thinking about what to blog this last week since we came back from our vacation.

We spent a week at a cottage in Kincardine, Ontario with another family - our good friends and their two kids, who are almost the exact same age as our kids.

We spent a week playing with kids, enjoying the water and sand, talking, cooking, and eating very good food.

But to me, what was most wonderful, was the tribe-like atmosphere. Other adults to talk to - about superficial things, deep things, and everything in between. Other adults to share in the childcare, to give each of us a few much-needed breaks. To hold a baby while the other was doing something else for a moment.

To be completely honest, I felt absolutely no desire to check to see if I had new blog comments, to check out a forum I’m a part of, to check and see what was happening on Facebook. I’ll admit I did, once, think about checking my email, but that’s it.

There’s nothing wrong with social media, per se, but I can see how it’s a very poor substitution for actual human interaction. Being online leaves me feeling like I’ve wasted my time; like I’ve taken a ‘break’ but haven’t really rested; like I’d like the last 20 mins/hour/evening of my life back to do things that matter.

Being in the presence of real people who share your passions and who talk back in real time … with whom you can talk at the same time as making dinner or nursing your baby or taking a walk on the beach or setting the toddler up to colour … is just so very different than the things with which we have replaced such interactions.

And, I believe, so much healthier for not only ourselves, but most of all, our children.

Sometimes I wonder: If the people who devote so much time and energy to building online communities could put half the time into developing our physical communities … what would happen?

“And the men who hold high places

Must be the ones who start

To mold a new reality

Closer to the heart.”

- Rush, Closer To The Heart (1977)