Expect To Be Amazed

I recently spent a weekend in Chicago with my grandchildren, ages two and three (and their parents).  They recharge my batteries and bring me back to aspects of life often lost on adults. 

My three-year-old grandson knows that I will scoop him up and tell him, “You’re the best boy “– and he now completes the oft-heard sentence – “in the whole wide world!”   

 I was amused and touched when my two-year-old granddaughter, out of the blue, pointed with her index finger to the people in the room one by one and said matter of factly to each person, “I love you” and pointing at the next person, “ And I love you” and the next one, “And I love you”. As she continued looking around, she then put her little finger on her own chest and said, “And I love you.” 

When, why and how does this self-love escape us? Yes, there are slings and arrows we all need to deal with as life goes on. As parents, grandparents and all who love children, one of our roles is to help children not stop loving themselves as they face hard times and help them cultivate resilience. 

Over the weekend, I was struck with the random “joie de vivre” behavior my grandchildren exhibited - the two-year-old suddenly doing a version of down dog on her way to the dinner table, and my grandson saying while holding my hand as we walked through a parking lot,” I see a cloud and it looks like a dog!”  

Children are fascinated with the world around them and chronically expect to be amazed. 

 As adults, let’s adopt that attitude - maybe it will bring us back to child-like joy.

PARENTINGDECEMBER 20, 2018