What I've Got

So far this has been the story of my journey.  A lot of it has been about the confusion and the questions I've had as well as lots of other heavy stuff.  This is about lighter things, still part of my journey, but a very different part.  I wanted to include some of the reasons why I look forward to each day.  



My children never cease to amaze me.  I continually learn from them, even when I think it's me that is supposed to be teaching them.

Several days ago I got in an argument with my oldest son.  After asking him to stop spraying the other kids with water, I finally sent him inside with an extra chore to do.  He stormed off to his room and we then yelled at each other for a bit.  He was upset that I hadn't reminded him that I didn't want him spraying everyone.  Feeling like I needed to give him some direction, I held my ground and informed him that no one else in life is responsible for his actions except him and that he needed to go do his job.

During the course of the discussion he was getting visibly angrier.  It reached a point where he seemed to be looking around for something to throw.  Then suddenly he slumped to the floor, almost in tears.  Looking up at me with pleading, angry eyes, he shouted:

"You're not being a very good parent.  Can't you see I'm angry and I don't know what to do about it? You're not even helping me learn what to do about it."

Humbled, I sat next to him and hugged him close.  We talked about some possible ways to handle it, then got in a tickle fight until we both sat panting but smiling.



They often pick up things that we don't even realize.  We had been teaching our sons, scouts, about blood circles and knife safety.  Several days later my daughter, age seven, was cutting out cardboard for a craft.  Wrylon walked past and my daughter stopped cutting and informed her, "Mom, watch out.  You're in my blood circle."

Their creativity never ceases to amaze me as well. When I was a child I had no interest in building anything out of Legos that wasn't the way the instructions said. My son, age eight, regularly comes out with intricate swords, axes, bottles, hammers, phones -- you name it -- made entirely of Legos.  Yes I have learned to trust myself to build things by watching them, and Yes they think the Lego Movie is AWESOME.



And they keep me laughing.  In a conversation with my youngest son, age six:



Him: Some of the snakes lost their tails.

Me: Isn't that all they are?

Him: No. They just disappeared.

Me: A snake without a tail is sort of pointless.

Him: Well, they got legs.

Me: Legs? What kid of legs?

Him: Snake legs.

Me: Snakes don't have legs.

Him: Well, if they lose their tails they need something.


Photo © 2014 Danika L. Amott

Comments

  1. What a great uplift! So glad you shared this. It made my day, and made me see things I'd been missing, including anger management. :) Yes, we learn so much from our children, God bless them!

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