Sometimes I have to work hard to remind myself how different the world looks to my toddlers. They’re often intrigued by things I would never have thought about. The bushes at the end of the garden are a good example. Now these bushes are especially big and, well, bushy and have been a source of fascination and anxiety for The Monkey ever since we moved in. They’ve long remained unexplored territory, however, and he’s been happy to inspect them from a safe distance. If his ball went behind them, he needed Mommy or Daddy to venture back among the leaves to retrieve it.
Do we dare?
But no longer. Today was the day The Monkey explored the bushes. When his ball went back there this morning, instead of running to me and asking for help, he slowly crawled in among the leaves. He was very excited by his own bravery and delighted to find a hidden path and shady hiding places between the bushes and the fence. The Monkey spent the whole morning exploring, gradually enticing The Puppy Dog, who is rarely daunted by anything, to join him.
Plunging in
To me, they’re just bushes. To the little ones, they’re a whole world to be explored where daring and independence can be tested and adventures enjoyed.
The Outdoors Parent 
Well done Monkey! Very brave.