At the Market

photo by Jack

photo by Jack

I love the Edmonds Farmer's Market. When I was pregnant with Jack I dreamed about doing all kinds of cozy things with him like raking leaves in the fall, building a snowman in the winter, and going to the Farmer's Market in the Spring. I get antsy every April, waiting for the first Saturday in May when the market opens. Last year Jack made it to the Farmer's Market once. There were dogs there. Panic ensued. And that was the end of my Farmer's Market dreams.

As a parent, I feel that the most important thing I can do is teach my children to feel love. The second most important thing is to teach them how to relate to the world; how to get things from the inside out, and how and what to get from the outside in. Jack has a lot of fears and a lot of concerns, and his fear often holds him back. Sometimes it's a concrete fear, other times it's more vague. Over the years I've learned that he often worries about where he will fit in, and that his primary concern is that he doesn't know what to do in certain situations. Often times, he won't even tell me what his concerns are and sometimes he honestly doesn't know, so I've taken special pains to help him communicate what he's thinking, what he's worried about, and what we can do about it.

This morning over breakfast we discussed the Farmer's Market, and I asked him if he wanted to go with me. He said no. I told him that he didn't have to, but that I had a few ideas that he might like. He said he'd listen. I told him about all the beautiful fruits and vegetables we'd see, about the kind lady who makes the amazing kettle corn, the buckets and buckets of bright flowers. I said there'd be a lot to see, good things to eat, new foods to try, and that maybe he'd like to come along and be my photographer. I said that there would probably be a few dogs there, but they would all be on leashes and I promised I wouldn't let any of the dogs get close. If we found ourselves too near a dog, we could simply walk the other way.

He said yes. He found it particularly thrilling when I showed him the zoom feature on our camera; he could get a close-up picture of a dog while standing a comfortable distance away, examine the object of his fear without leaving his comfort zone. He was totally stoked.

photo by Jack

photo by Jack

The first tomatoes of the season, picked yesterday.

Matteas really enjoyed his post-shopping snack of fresh berries.