The other day I had a really neat conversation with my sister. She's got two sweet boys, ages 4 and 2. We were chatting about them, getting the updates (we live a few states away) and she had an interesting thing to say. Her two boys are complete opposites. She shared a thought (which I've had before and completely agree with) that she realized she has to embrace the people they are, and not try and get them to do things they don't enjoy. Her oldest is not athletic. At all. He likes to sing and dance. He's kinda shy. Her youngest is a big rough and tumble type, who loves puzzles and solving spatial types of equations. She's learning to encourage their natural tendencies and just embrace who they are. That is so awesome. What a good thing to do.
Like I said, I've had similar thoughts, and think it's such an awesome way to parent. But it really made me stop and think (as she talked to me about this), am I really parenting that way, or am I still forcing my gems (mainly Moose, since Monkey's a bit small for anything really) to do things that they don't really enjoy. I came to the conclusion that I don't think I am. But I think it was still good for me to stop and reflect. It's so easy to get into a routine, or habit, or flow with your kids that you might not really be paying attention to what you're doing. Not in a really introspective sort of way. It was good for me to stop and think, "Am I forcing Moose into activities he doesn't like, or am I not encouraging him in things he really enjoys?"
For now, he just likes to crash, run, tumble, wrestle, play the computer, and watch movies. But I'm sure as he gets a bit older (and as it gets warmer) he will let it be known that he has preferences for certain activities, games, sports, social encounters, etc. I always want to be aware of what he really enjoys so I can encourage him in that, know what he's not comfortable with so I can gently urge him to experience things slowly, in a way that he can handle, without forcing him into things that make him uncomfortable. Overall, it's just good to be aware of what you're doing with your kids, and to make sure you are looking at them as people, with likes, dislikes, etc.
Funny parenting moment for the day: Little monkey is still recovering from whatever cold/cough she's had for over a week now. The last few days she's had red, splotchy bumps that have been coming and going. We've not really been able to figure it out. So finally, today, my hubs went to google and looked it all up. We determined she most likely has hives. We think it's most likely related to the illness she's been battling with, and since they're not bothering her in any way, expect them to go away with the rest of her symptoms. (While always being mindful and cautious, of course.) The funny part of all of this was, my hubs says, "What did parents do before google?" All I could think was, "They bugged their parents." I'm sure that's true. We still do bug ours from time to time, but it sure is nice to have some instant information available. (Taken into account that you have to sift through it for what's actually valuable and pertinent. Nonetheless, a wonderful cache of information at your fingertips.)
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