I have found that children generally have a lot to offer. Each of my children challenges me in different ways and teaches me different lessons. Here are a three things I am learning from my youngest daughter:
Life Isn’t So Serious: Rayelle is a fun loving person who refuses to take life to seriously. Sometimes, as her mother, this can be frustrating – especially when you’re trying to get her to understand the seriousness of a particular situation – but overall – it’s a lesson many of us could use. Life can be hard sometimes – no matter what your age – but it doesn’t have to be miserable. It’s okay to smile, it’s okay to laugh. Take time to enjoy the little things that make life great even when it seems crappy.
Start Fresh Every Day: Last year, Rayelle was having some issues at school that resulted in a few visits with the principal/counsellor. One of the things they said about Rayelle is that she starts every day with a fresh slate. When she has a rough day, she doesn’t hold on to it. She doesn’t show up the next day still angry or upset. She is very quick to let things go and move on. Every day is a new day and while it’s important to learn from our mistakes, it’s also important to know how to pick yourself up and move forward – something she reminds me of often. She is the same way at home – she may have a bad day and go to bed early for throwing attitude but in the morning, she’s moved on, she’s happy and she’s ready to start a new day.
You Haven’t Failed if You Haven’t Given Up: Watching Rayelle try to learn something new is an interesting (and slightly hilarious) experience. She gets frustrated easily but she refuses to give up. She is currently trying to learn how to crochet – she’ll sit on the couch, reworking a row over and over to try and get it right. You can tell when she messes up because she huffs and moans to herself – but she keeps going (Carl and I, on multiple occasions, have had to stifle our laughter so we don’t embarrass her – but it’s hilarious). If she gets to frustrated, she’ll put it down for a while and come back later or the next day: but she refuses to give up. It can be easy to say “I tried, I can’t do it” and walk away – but think how much more we would be able to achieve if we weren’t so quick to admit defeat!
Shimmer 