School is back in session next week. My girls will get their
heads jammed full of all kinds of knowledge. However, there are some lessons I
hope I’m instilling in each of them on a day-to-day basis. I thought I’d share
seven with you today.
The Value in
Investing in Something Greater than Yourself
Whether it’s by signing up for a Love 146 walk, collecting
winter wear for the homeless, or making regular trips to Goodwill, I want my kids
to see me making sacrifices for
others.
Resiliency is
Character-Building
Life knocks us down. People knock us down. We do well enough
knocking ourselves down. The key is getting back up. It’s during the process of
shaking off the dust that we begin to understand what we’re made of.
Creativity during
Life’s Waits
I’m fairly certain 94.279387594375 % of life is spent waiting
for something. Case in point, here is a little play-by-play of my “wait” list.
Grow up. Get my period (yeah, what was I excited about on that one?), first
kiss, boyfriend (wait, isn’t that backwards?), graduate, college, first place,
job that suits me, marry, have babies, discover my calling (my life seems a tad
out of order), see the fruit of that discovery grow to its full potential
(still waiting). See where I’m coming from? And I didn’t even mention lines at
the grocery store or Marshalls.
I do something earthshattering while I’m waiting in line with
my girls. I ask them questions…we talk.
Kindness Trumps
Argumentativeness, Hubris, or Inaction
Trust me, there are times I feel like Venus Flytrapping some
people. When I witness road rage. Entitlement. Flat out ignorance or
selfishness. Yep, want to swallow those suckers whole only to spit them out in
a sewage plant. However, it’s a good practice, when tempted to practice
kindness. Not fakeness. Not flattery. But a moment of slipping out of my own
thoughts and attempting to enter theirs. Then doing something (albeit
oftentimes small) about it.
Discipline
I’ve written eleven novels in less than seven years. That
alone is enough to send the message I’m serious. That I’m invested. My girls
see what I give up in order to devote time to writing. Little spies…they see
everything.
Tenacity
Where passion lives, get tenacious. That’s the message I
hope computes. Also, don’t give up easily. Become resourceful. When the time
calls, speak up. Be a voice that’s not only heard, it’s heeded.
The Beauty of Empathy
I’m one of those people who has a horrible time remaining in
my chair if I see someone crying across the room. Could be a complete stranger
in tears. I have to fight not to leap toward them and smother them in a hug.
Backing off from this a tad, I hope I’m teaching my girls to take risks with
this one. To ask someone who’s crying if they’re okay. To stick up for a kid being
picked on during recess. To go out of their way to the point where it feels a
little uncomfortable in order to let someone else know they matter.
There are many other messages I’d love to know my kids are
receiving, that are becoming a part of how they perceive their role in this
world. But these are the biggies I wanted to share with you today.
Have you ever given
thought to what your kids are learning outside of school?
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