CHRISTMAS REMINDER

I was browsing for home decor a year ago and ran across a wall decal that struck a chord. It was a wooden plaque with the following saying, “While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” Upon reading the quote, I was struck with how truly accurate it is. Children are so refreshing. They offer such neat unfiltered/untainted perspectives on things. I have a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old, so they haven’t been exposed to all of society’s rules and expectations yet. Yes, this does mean that they sometimes point to the bald man in front of us at the concert and blurt out, “Mommy, that man doesn’t have any hair on his head.” Eek, gotta love those moments, right? But it also means that when they say they love you, you know it’s because they do and not because they have an ulterior motive. I love bringing my kids to places around Christmas time. They are continually oohing and aahing at the beautiful Christmas lights. Their innocence and excitement bring back memories of my childhood and how magical the Christmas time of year was back then. Before the reality of adulthood set in, and it became more about shopping, cooking, and trying to arrange schedules to make it to as many of the family Christmas parties as you can.

I honestly don’t know why I do this. But even though I am aware of the hype around the holidays and how the retailer’s goal is to get your kids hooked on thinking they need the latest and great toys, electronics, etc., I still do have the desire to get my kids SOME of the latest and greatest items. I guess this proves that I am still human 😉. This last year it was the Nintendo Switch. My son was stoked. He loves playing this game console with his cousins, aunt, and future uncle. He didn’t even ask for it, but I know how much he enjoys playing it when we get together for family gatherings. He has thoroughly enjoyed playing it so far. I am sure that he will love showing off how much he has improved the next time that he gets together with the family.

My favorite part about this last Christmas, though were the gifts that we received from our 7-year-old son. His school creates a makeshift little shop each year around the holidays that allows the kids to shop for gifts for each member of their family. My son was so proud of his purchases for us this year. He kept telling us that we would all enjoy them. I was amazed by what he had picked out for us. He gave his dad bungee cords, a couple of nail filers for me, and his sister got a whistle. Wouldn’t you know it, his sister has played with her whistle more than she has any of the other gifts that we had given her! I am so proud of him for putting so much thought into these gifts. You could tell that he didn’t just grab the nearest item but thought carefully for things that we would each like and enjoy. It was a gentle reminder that it’s not about the money you spend on people, but about the thought that you put into getting them something that they will use and holds value to them. I love that my son could remind me of this last Christmas, and I wanted to share the lesson with you this holiday season. To the parents reading this, I bet there are countless things that you could learn from your kids each day. Next time, your kids ask you a question or don’t understand a direction that you’ve given them, put yourself in their place and see if it makes sense to you. Those questions or misunderstandings could be providing you with a valuable lesson or at the very least provide you with a wonderful opportunity to teach them something.   

Love,

Yara Rose