Toddler Teachings

I've come to learn, as I'm father to one incredible, extremely engaging 3-going-on 4 yr. old baby girl, that these little people have much to teach us big kids. The moments where I discover this has recently been when she and her peers are spending time together playing and officiating their little world. I've said it before, but it bears repeating, that their little world is a miniature of our own. All of it with it's joys and it's struggles.

Watching this miniature world play out with as little involvement as possible from me or another adult has shown me many things about the mechanics of my relationship with Christina, her mom. It has shown me a lot about what we all need: the real needs that we have and how those needs must be met in order to have a happy, fun and mature adult relationship. It continues to teach me better ways of relating. It's not always What you say in a relationship, but How you say it--how you choose to couch it, your choice and tenor of the words that you use to express yourself that can tilt the scale in one direction or the other.

Since children are honest and in the open they are the perfect study for this. It is amazingly enlightening!

As a parent, through this class of observation, one also gets to learn what your children are picking up through you as you instruct and guide them through the course of living your lives together. Be advised however that you will not be able to look and be honest with the truth of what you are teaching unless you have a great sense of compassion toward yourself. They are, for the most part, going to pick up a large majority of what you are offering, be it out of intent or by the rote of your behaviors. So as parents, it behoves us to be honest to ourselves about the truth of who we are. Humility, Humanity, and Compassion for ourselves are bundled together here. Parenting is a beautiful and tough job. If we've never been grounded in self love, this is a place where it is of vital need. Without it we will deny instead of see.

My little daughter continues to show me how she is my Victor and Salvation.....

Thank You Shayla.