Weaned on play

by Wynna Dunmyer, Sunflower mom

My baby weaned, again. At Bridging Day last week, Griffin my 5 year old last baby, weaned. This time it was from Seedlings, the amazing play-based cooperative program that gave him space and time to grow and explore, paint, fall, swing, yell, conspire, laugh, experiment, concentrate, dream and PLAY. Some people would think that weaning means stopping breastfeeding and it does, and I could use language like ‘He’s progressing through all his developmental steps, gaining trust and moving away from me’ but that sounds a bit scary. Weaning sounds so much sweeter. So he weaned.

I did the fancy look up a word thing in an actual dictionary I can touch, ahh memories, and here is what it said, ‘wean’: to accustom to take food otherwise than by nursing or to detach from a source of dependence. So, yes, he weaned and eats food just fine, thank you. And we have detached from a source of dependence too. We won’t be around the supportive, creative, wondrous community that is Sunflower as much. Wait, this weaning is starting to sound like a bad idea.

But, check it out, there is a third meaning for wean: to accustom to something from an early age. We weaned on Sunflower – Little Sprouts, Circle of Song, Seedlings, Roots & Shoots – we’ve been involved in many of Sunflower’s offerings since my first-born, now 9 years, was 17 months old. Sunflower kids are weaned on play. This is a type of weaning I can get behind.

The next word in the dictionary? Weaner, one that weans. I’m so glad my kids are Sunflower weaners.