Have you ever looked farther past your kids’ eyes, into that innocent and warm heart, and said “Thank you?” There’s so much to be grateful to your kids for, so much appreciation they deserve. Do you know that little munchkin running around is actually teaching you a thing or two? Maybe your little one is not a munchkin anymore. Maybe he or she is growing so fast before your very own eyes that you can actually see bits and pieces of your own image, your own being. Whatever the case may be, your kids are indeed a gift and blessing to be grateful for, in more ways than you realize. Here are a few things our kids teach us in our daily lives.
Slow Down
How many of us rush, rush, rush along life’s busy tracks, never stopping to smell the coffee? Or flowers, whatever floats your boat. You’re busy writing a list, or washing the dishes before the timer goes “Ding!” Oh, there’s the laundry; better hurry before the pot boils over and look at the time! Gotta pick up the other one from school soon; then there’s tutoring this evening and whoa, easy there! Did you not see that little curly-haired person holding out a block to your face, inviting you to build a castle? Come on, you two can break a record for the tallest castle ever. But there’s so much to do and it can wait, right? Well I’m here to tell you that yes it may wait…and wait…and wait…until it’s too late, of course. Take some time and appreciate the special moments spent with your kid(s) each day and thank him/her for reminding you to slow down and enjoy each other.
There’s an Inner Child Within
My little one loves to spin like a ballerina in the shiniest tutu, and she loves when she’s got some company! Then there’s those moments when a goofy laugh is all it takes to create the most memorable moments. Get in touch with your inner child, and put on your silliest face. Play hide-and-seek, even though anyone could see you under that coffee table. Say she randomly tags you and starts running for her life. Two–or three, four or five!– can play that game. Run like your feet have wings! If your kid has outgrown the hide-and-seek phase, that’s fine. Whip up some jokes, tell a funny story, go down memory lane together over your favorite snack. Start a DIY project. My point is that a sprinkling of fun here and there is a good addition to your routine, and goes a long way for your relationships, your happiness, and even your health. We may need to try or make time for it, but who better to teach you the fundamentals of fun than that goofy princess with her infectious smile?
Simplicity & Innocence
When was the last time you picked a flower? Or enjoyed the breeze against your face, feeling truly blessed for it? Or even studied a leaf, smiling at it’s miraculous properties? Kids are the most innocent, loving, and simple beings ever, until corruption with the racing times seep in, and introduces them to all sorts of ideas and behaviors. But for a part of their lives, simplicity makes up the majority of their beings. What a beautiful thing to cherish, while we can. The next time your kid tugs at you, smiling at the big ball of wonder in the night sky, go ahead. Smile along from your heart. If we could learn to embrace simplicity and innocence as a child so easily could, and actually hold on to it, then the world would surely be a more humane and beautiful place.
Patience
If it’s anything that will teach you patience, one of those things is waiting as your kid learns to tie his shoe. Over the loop and…wait, or was it under the loop? Here we go again. It’s watching as she proudly crosses that “t” with a straight line, after a million focused and frustrated tries. It’s holding him close after the biggest tantrum–since yesterday. It’s knowing that when you close that door she’s no longer studying. It’s when all stands still as you stare in each others eyes, and you know exactly what he’s going to do: just what you say not to. It’s when you say, bewildered : “I have never argued with my mother like this, what’s the world coming to?!” Looking through the perspective at hand, don’t you see that while you faithfully try to instill discipline in their lives, that they are also teaching you what it means to discipline yourself? As someone once said, ‘While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.’ There’s a level of truth to this. Next time you have a chance to thank your little one, don’t hesitate…”For teaching me that innocence should never die; that I can find a way to slow down in life’s hustle and bustle; that patience will take us far and that I can be, indeed, your best buddy any day, thank you.”