I woke up this morning to find that my oldest son had straightened up and swept the front entryway. Not to be outdone, Sissy wanted in, and they both set to work making my breakfast and their dad’s lunch for work.
For the rest of the day, all I had to do was mention something or ask, and it was done! Before you all besiege me with requests to open up a school or offer parenting seminars, let me say, I have no idea what spurred this on! If I had a pill or formula, I would bottle it, but I certainly have appreciated it while it’s lasted!
I had a migraine this afternoon and went to lay down for awhile, and I didn’t hear a peep out of either of the two, nor did I hear their younger brother and that’s quite a feat!
In all seriousness, I suppose a few of the many talks we’ve had recently about being considerate of others and showing appreciation may have taken root! Kids, in their own ego-centric way, seem to believe the world revolves around them (shocking, isn’t it?)! Thus, lately, hubby and I have had to disabuse them of this notion, and remind them that we are a team. They don’t realize parenting three children who often have simultaneous “urgent” needs (or so they classify them!), can be difficult and draining - nor is it their job to understand that quite yet. Perhaps it’s one of the reasons grandparents seem tickled pink all the time - seeing their kids get “payback”? But, I digress. The kids have a job to be happy and carefree, which is exactly what they are. So, we try to introduce “teachable moments” to help them realize and recognize the needs of others.
So, on a day like today, it’s gratifying to know that our words aren’t merely floating somewhere out there in the universe, but they’ve actually been absorbed by our darlings!
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