Loveless- X Ambassadors
Feel Again- One Republic
Flow- Shawn James
Jungle- X Ambassadors
I'm So Sorry- Imagine Dragons
Seven Years- Lukas Graham
Gold- Sir Sly
Full disclosure, this blog post was originally designed for me to tell you all the great life lessons I have taught my kid and how they have benefitted in turning him into a fine young lad; because I'm such a wiz at this whole parenting thing. But as I started working more and more on this post it started to turn into what my toddler has taught me, not the other way around.
Go figure.
I was going to start by telling you how it's important to teach them things besides, you know, walking, talking, good behavior (those are just basics, right?) and that teaching them more deep and profound things are also necessary. Like teaching them to fail so that they appreciate success and about how important it is to give your best effort no matter what. Right.
Even as I'm typing it, it sounds horrid. And it quickly occurred to me that I haven't actually taught my kid many life lessons. I mean, he's two, I still have time to inject some wisdom in him as he ages. But I also noticed that the more things I came up with the more it seemed these lessons were meant more for me than for him. And if we practice what we teach our kids they are more likely to practice it themselves. So without further ado, here are six life lessons that my toddler taught me.
1. Patience
Oh boy. This is a big one. I used to think I was a patient person; then I had a kid. He constantly tests my patience, every single day, without fail. And I will say I have gotten better, but I constantly find myself falling off the wagon with this one. And the apple didn't fall far from the tree; he's just as impatient as I am. Why couldn't he get my eyes!? But, I have learned to be more accepting towards my child's tantrums and demands and instead tell him, constantly, "Hey, remember that patience thing we talk about all the time? Let's try that."
Seriously. That is exactly what I say. And for a second I take a breath and tell myself the same thing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But hey, it's better than nothing.
2. Be yourself
Our kids come out completely untainted by the world. They have vibrant personalities, no filters and no shame about who they are; until society (and us, as parents) tell them they need to act a certain way, filter certain things and tone it down.
And that's awful.
Yes, we should teach them to be polite and how to live and participate in society, but over the years haven't you found yourself a little dwindled away? A little off track? Maybe you didn't realize how far you strayed from yourself until you didn't recognize yourself anymore. That's what happened to me. I looked at myself one day and my priorities and wondered, "How did this happen? This isn't me."
And so I took a lesson from my kid, who isn't afraid to be himself (yet) and has no one telling him "That looks stupid", or "That's what your laugh sounds like?" or any other thing that would drag down the beautiful soul that he is; and just be yourself.
3. All the FeelsKids feel every single emotion. Very strongly. And one at a time. And most of the time this is very hard to deal with; like when you tell your kid he can't have any candy in the supermarket. Holy crap, pull out your earplugs and prepare for every living soul in the store to openly stare at you. And sometimes you feel like crying as well, but usually after a few minutes (if you're lucky) it's over. He got out his frustration and now he's fine.
See, adults don't do this. Especially women (one of our very few flaws!). We tend to bottle up everything until we overflow or (my personal favorite) explode. If we addressed our emotions more like our kids, by acknowledging their presence and releasing them, we would be much happier people. And so, that's what I try and do now; let it go.
I promise, you will feel loads better. And your kid and spouse will notice a difference.
4. Let Loose
We have all witnessed our kid going nuts every now and then. And I'm not talking about throwing a fit or anything like that. I mean, when you watch them run like they just took an energy injection, like the world is totally and completely their oyster.
I used to be a control freak, Ok, well, I'm in recovery. I like things to be a certain way, and when you become a parent you almost immediately have to give up your control. Because, news flash, your kid is in control now. From the moment they are born, they are calling the shots. When to wake up, when to sleep, when to eat; they are the boss. And it stays that way. It's a constant power struggle. Sometimes I look at my kid and think, "How can I be bested by a two year old?!"
Eh. It happens to the best of us. Giving up that control vice is hard, trust me, but my kid has taught me how to live a little more. The laundry can wait and so can the dishes because you want to watch your kid play outside and show you all the birds in the sky and worms in the dirt. Your favorite song just came on the radio, sing to it, dance to it; just let go every now and then. Chase your kid around the house, tickle them until you're both rolling on the floor laughing; don't take your life so seriously. This part of their life will be over soon and you're going to miss it if you don't loosen up and watch.
5. Be Creative
My kids imagination is amazing to me. He can play by himself for hours, because he can find fun in everything. He played with a box one time for over forty minutes. A box, people. Creativity is strong with that one.
But that's every kid. You know, (little rant here, sorry) we encourage them at this age to be creative, to draw, to use stickers and scissors, to play make believe, but eventually we sit them down, take away their crayons and give them pencils and paper and make them take tests. Morbid and harsh, I know, but it's true. I think I stopped doing arts and crafts in probably third grade, when mandated testing began. They took away our art supplies and took our little thought bubbles and cut them to fit. It will happen to your kid too, just like it happened to you.
I didn't take art again until high school (as an elective) and never in college. I missed it, but I never realized it. Why do you think you get that little catch in your heart when you go to a restaurant that offers you a coloring sheet and crayons? You've missed it too. I didn't start sketching again until I started staying at home, around the same time I began writing. Now I'm doing DIY projects like they are going out of style and it makes me happy. And it makes me happy to see my kid enjoying coloring, drawing and reading (which enhances imagination and creative thinking) just like I do. It's now something we share.
That is the best feeling.
6. Love Everything
My kid still has unconditional love. He doesn't know anything different yet, and it breaks my heart to think one day it will be conditional; because eventually it does. My kid can drive me crazy, sometimes daily, but I have never loved anything more than I love that little animal. Our kids love everything when they are young. Everything is an adventure; everything is wonderful. When did that stop being true? When did we start thinking everything was hard and horrible?
When did love become conditional? I want to love something the way my kid loves gummy bears or closing the dryer door for me. I want to love every day things like that as much as he does, because why not?
When I see him smiling about something, I smile too and look for whatever it is because I want to see the world the way he sees it. Kids see everything so simply, and that's something that eventually goes away. So maybe we should learn to find the wonderful things in life instead of focusing on the negative. Negativity can eat you alive, like a disease if you let it; it's up to you whether you fight against it or let it consume you. Let the love in.
That's it, although I know there is plenty more my kid has taught me and will continue to teach me. Who knows, maybe one day I'll actually manage to teach him a few life lessons along the way. What has your kid taught you? Think about it, it's bound to bring a smile to your face.
Repost, like, comment and share! Let me know what you think. Until the next bit.
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