This past Sunday, Duchess Catherine "Kate" Middleton of Cambridge shared photos of her family and her "Back to Nature Exhibit" at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Viewers are going crazy for the latest pictures of the Royal Family, taken by Matt Porteous, especially considering Princess Charlotte's big personality and how much Prince Louis has grown.
These pictures are more than examples of a lovely use of Instagram, however. This brief exchange shares volumes about working motherhood and childhood development.
Kate Middleton has consistently presented herself not only as a dedicated mother but also as a mental health advocate.
While she was the mother of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, with little Prince Louis on the way, she built a mental health campaign called "Heads Together." Using her royal resources, Middleton wanted to create a program that serviced workplaces, schools and the military, in delivering proper mental wellness resources.
Also important to her campaign was the erasure of the mental health stigmas that often make it more difficult for individuals in these settings to seek help. During the establishment of her campaign, Middleton pointed out the importance of mothers speaking out about the hardships of motherhood, including the mental load and struggles they were otherwise facing alone.
Middleton has established herself as a woman willing to continue chasing her passions while raising her children and identifying as a mother. Her "Back to Nature" garden is no exception.
With the invitation to participate in the annual Chelsea Flower Show, creating what is now called her "Back to Nature Garden" was no small feat. Middleton joined forces with landscape architects, Andrée Davies and Adam White of Davies White, now co-designers of the garden Middleton hopes will promote outdoor activities, a greater appreciation for nature, and improved mental wellness for children and adults alike.
The garden features a unique, high-platform tree house that is modeled off of a birds' nest, and includes witch hazel, stag-horn oak and chestnut. There is also a swing seat made specifically for the tree house, and Middleton invited her children to assist her in collecting moss, leaves and twigs, for the tree house and other areas of the whimsical garden.
Middleton's goal in creating the garden is to inspire a return to nature through creative interaction and hands-on activities. Throughout the garden, plants of varying heights and textures will be found, as well as edible plants and plants that are perfect for crafting projects.
She hopes the garden will communicate to the public the benefits of being outdoors and how it can improve mental health in adults and children.
This project gave us a unique opportunity to view the Royal Family as a family this past weekend. It must be difficult: raising a family, working and living in the public eye. But as fans of the Royal Family, so many of us love seeing updates and getting to see them doing well.
This past Sunday, we certainly weren't disappointed.
Look how much these children have grown!
Princess Charlotte is growing into a lovely young lady with a big personality, an admirably strong will, and an adorable sense of humor.
This is the first time young Prince Louis has been photographed publicly since he started walking!
The public loves how much he has grown, and surely will be expecting more photos from now on.
Pictured together on a beautiful Sunday out, the Royal Family is caught dressed comfortably and enjoying each other's company and nature.
The other hidden gem of this past weekend is what Middleton's garden exhibit is doing for her children developmentally.
While talking about her garden project and getting her children back into nature, Kate Middleton stated:
"In recent years I have focused much of my work on the early years, and how instrumental they are for outcomes later in life. I believe that spending time outdoors when we are young can play a role in laying the foundations for children to become happy, healthy adults."
The mission of her growing garden is clear and invaluable in building a relationship with family and with nature. Involving her children in the process of collecting natural items for the garden and taking them for a private family visit to the garden are unique ways to introduce the children to this beautiful space, and give them a place in it as young caretakers.
These opportunities to collaborate with nature, Middleton has discovered, boost confidence and creativity, and also dramatically improve positive developmental growth and mental health.
And that is entirely true—countless studies have been done recently on the benefits of incorporating nature into a child's daily routine, or school studies, and allowing them to go barefoot. By allowing children to spend more time outside and to slow down, their focus and attention dramatically improve, as well as their attitudes and approach to learning.
Children who spend more time outside are more willing to take risks and approach situations from different angles.
Their immense crowd of loyal fans have taken to Instagram and Twitter, swooning over the family's natural and beautiful photographs, the importance of nature and the blossoming heirs.
It's wonderful to see the rally of support the Royal Family is receiving for the important work Kate Middleton is doing to create a sustainable, natural garden preserve for families to enjoy and grow from.
Hopefully, witnessing such a well-known family protecting the simple things, such as returning to nature, will encourage more families to spend more time outside with their children.
From the smallest park to the largest natural preserve, adults and children can benefit from the refreshing effects of being outside, as well as the creative opportunities of outdoor activities, crafts and gardening.