The lack of exercise

The bad weather lately in Britain has resulted with Number One Son staying inside more than usual. For a small boy this is a problem since small boys have a lot of energy to burn and need all the exercise they can have. Even if we manage to keep the television shut and DVDs out of hand, playing inside in his room is not going to be enough. He needs to run and climb in order to sleep well.

Luckily, the last weekend was sunny and we had Finnish School on Saturday. Even if the teacher of the pre-school group said that this was the first time he sat properly down and did some arts and crafts, he ran and played with other children and managed to wear himself down. On Sunday I took Number One Son to the Abbey Park to see the Pet Corner and run through the Oval. Running around in the sun is the best activity for a growing male toddler and anyone likes the peak of a peacock. Nevertheless, the most exciting part of the day for Number One Son was handling and feeling sand in the play area. Cool, fine sand - one could mentally tick off that day's messy play!

After a day full of exercise Number One Son heads happily to bed with blurry eyes. If we lucky he falls asleep even before In the Night Garden finishes. After a rainy day inside with cartoons, cars and playdough Number One Son wants to wrestle in the evening and runs around in his room just before going to bed. After the bedtime story and the lights off he keeps calling Mummy and Archaeologist Husband standing at the baby gate of his room at the top of the stairs for a long while even if the black-out curtains have been drawn. This visible and audible difference in behaviour underlines the importance of ‘quality running time’.