Life's Lessons

I took my son to the park today with a few other mommies. They were commenting on how well my son spoke and followed direction, when just a few days ago my husband and I were having a conversation about how some other child spoke so much clear and had such a better vocabulary than our son.

It was so nice to hear these wonderful things about my son, but at the same time it has made me realize, I was putting to much thought into it in the first place. My son is not going to go into college speaking in a nasally, unintelligible speech. He is not going to walk out of his dorm room and announce he is poop'y...repetitively! It is only a matter of time before these "issues" start to correct themselves. He doesn't need me to worry about those things. Instead, there are things in his life that only I can teach him. Those are the things I should be focused on. The things that he is not going to learn from anyone else, but me.

Unconditional love. The honest but loving support only a parent can give. How to be a gentleman. How to treat a lady. How to make up for a mistake. How to be a kind and loving father. Only I can ensure he has a positive self esteem. That he has confidence in himself. That he is a good person. That he is an honest person. Respectful. That he has faith in people. That he recognizes the good in everybody and treats everyone with respect and kindness. That he stands up for others and can stand up for himself. Only I can teach him to take criticism as a gift and not an attack. And only I can teach him what it feel like to be in a safe, loving and supportive home. And only I can give him the freedom to discover the world and grow in his own time.

That is what is important! and nothing else.

I am so grateful for that lesson today. I am even more touched that the mommy that gave me that valuable lesson didn't even mean to. She was just being a mom, a friend, and probably a worrier.

Sqwak Sqwak

When my son was an infant, I would look at him lying in his own poo, drooling on himself and think, "I can't wait until he is older and able to interact a bit." Then he got a bit older and would babble just a bit, but the drool and poo was still the same. I thought to myself, "I can't wait til he is older and can talk and stand and do those adorable things we all see toddlers do". Now he is older, he is learning new words everyday and can definitely walk around and do those adorable things that we see all toddlers do.

But the toddler stage has brought on a whole new revelation. I now know I have not given birth to a human child, rather a parrot! Every thing I say and do all day long is repeated back to me. All those little quirks you have, those ones you do without really knowing it? They are repeated back to me all day long!

It would seem that when I am working around the house and I become a bit frustrated I tend to make a growling noise. So guess what I get to hear all day long?!?! The low soothing growls of my son. ALL DAY! Oh I can't wait until I drop the F bomb and get to hear that repeated back to me. I know my husband is anxious to hear that.