Making messes on purpose

Yesterday, 3 different times, Oliver spent a few minutes dumping water from the bathroom sink onto the bathroom floor.

This morning Wynter and Oliver crumbled rice cakes onto the bedroom floor while eating them.

I'm pretty sure I hear Oliver dumping water on the bathroom floor again as I write this...

Yep.

You know that phrase, "Pick your battles"?  Those are "pick your battles" moments for me.  Yeah, they make huge messes that I normally end up cleaning up, but they also are fun moments.  I could get all scholastic here and say that I'm allowing them to explore cause and effect, gravity, textures, and have fun while doing it... and they are doing all that, but my main reason for letting these messes get made is for a moment of peace and quiet.  I know what they are doing, that they are safe, and that nothing is being damaged, and no one is getting hurt.

Sometimes the messes are worth the joy.

Letting them color on the walls with washable crayons is another one of the messes worth the joy, for me.

If it's something that isn't wasteful, or harmful, or damaging, and can easily be cleaned up then I try to let them do it.

Sometimes I'll even join in...

when I do, I find the kid in me again.   

P.S. I do clean up, or help Oliver clean up the water on the floor right away because it is dangerous and can damage the floor. We all stay safe during these mess making moments.