The Proud Parent

Before you have kids, you spend a lot of time critiquing other's parenting styles.  You say things to yourself like, "why is that kid crying?" and "I will never let my child speak to me in that tone" or "my child will always share his/her toys."

Then a miracle happens, and you have kids.  Beautiful, rays of sunshine that make life worth living.  And you know what?  You realize that 99% of the things they do are out of your control. You can wish/hope/pray that they will have good manners, be kind to others, be outgoing with lots of friends, etc, etc, etc.

Anyways, I decided long ago to stick to what I felt was right regarding discipline and instilling values, and not worry about the outcomes so much right now. As long as there was some progression towards improving behavior and controlling impulses, I would let it go. I no longer beat myself up over my kid's behavior, since as you read before, it is mostly out of my control.

It only stands to reason then, that I cannot take any credit when my children do something super great, but that's not going to stop me!

I went to pick Ms O up from school yesterday.  I came early, had a meeting at Clay and just figured it'd be easier to swing by and get her than to go home for an hour and make a trek back. I walked into her room to sign her out, and both her teachers made a beeline for me.  They said that Olivia had done something so great that day, and they wanted to share with me.

Olivia's school is on a multi use campus. Her daycare is there, along with a few other facilities. One facility that is literally out their front door is Providence House, which is an extended stay nursing facility for elderly clients (basically, a nursing home). The kids go to visit Providence House every so often, they do crafts, watch movies, just provide some company to the residents.

Yesterday, they had a visit to the facility. They made a St Patrick's craft and did their normal routine. Then the teachers decided to take 5 of the kids to visit one of the clients who is bed bound. I guess this client has rheumatoid arthritis so her joints look pretty bad. Olivia told me she had on a bib and was drinking from a sippy cup. So, to a normal four year old a little scary.

Well, I guess Olivia took this women's hand, and held it for half an hour while she proceeded to talk with her. The woman's daughter, the staff, and her teacher watched stunned as Olivia poured all her little love into the woman. 

Olivia's teachers were praising her compassionate nature, and my heart wanted to burst!  I was so proud that she is my daughter. She's heard me say to be kind to everyone, and love everyone, no matter what they look like on the outside, but I never know how much of that sinks in, or if I model what I "preach."

This situation just reinforced to me that my daughter is basically good, loving, and kind, and when she has her bad days I need to let them go and remember all the great things she does. 

Thanks for letting me share!