Tuesday 26 February 2013

Little people, wise words.

I had a run-in with one of my determined 2 year-olds and stayed cross with him longer than I like to; only around 5 minutes, but I prefer to allow these things to linger only a moment usually! It lasted no longer than 5 minutes because the boys didn't allow it to; we were trying to leave the house and I was putting little shoes on the little feet of the two boys I wasn't cross with when Joseph said,

"You just need to take a deep breath Mummy, and so does he".

I looked up to see two pairs of blue eyes, willing me not to be cross anymore. Then Joseph and his two year-old brother said, "You just need to let your anger go Mummy".

I felt like some little seeds I once scattered were now flowering for me, just as I needed them! There was no way I could continue to be angry; I hugged their determined brother, let it go and we all went out for ice-cream!

I try make sure the boys know how much I learn from them and how powerful and important this is for me, just as I chat to Joseph about the things he learns from his brothers and vice versa. Learning and knowledge don't flow one-way in our home, adults may have more experience to draw on but children can be so unbelievably instinctive, wise and compassionate that we'd be foolish to think they had nothing to teach us. We don't subscribe to the 'adults speak, children listen' approach here; everyone's voice is important, and we all deserve to be heard.

Our children are so much more than empty vessels, waiting to be filled with knowledge by qualified adults.

 

4 comments:

  1. A lovely, lovely post. I love these days when my children remind me of how much I have to learn and how patient they are with me!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you! Yes, they have a wonderful way of making things seem crystal clear! Thanks for reading.

    ReplyDelete