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Saturday, July 10, 2010

Kids as Teachers

I can vividly recall 5 years ago, just before Scott and I met, like it was yesterday. The strange thing is, though Brodie is only 2, I cannot remember life without him. Mary, who is Scott's stepmom, is an amazing woman whom I am blessed to call my mother-in-law. When they were down here visiting yesterday, she and I were talking about how your entire perspective can change when there are kids involved.

As we chatted, I looked over to watch Scott's Dad pushing Brodie in his swing and said to Mary, "You know, I cannot believe that I spent 33 years completely convinced that I never wanted this," with "this" referring to a family. She never had any children of her own, yet she stepped into the role of mother and grandmother simultaneously. She loves her stepsons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren beyond belief. She said, "I think some people say they never want a family because they don't have one. Look at me. I'm not a religious person, but I am sure that God gave me this family." Such a true, beautiful sentiment. Kids taught her that lesson.

Every single day, Brodie amazes and empowers me more. One day, he is unable to do something or say a certain word, and the next day, VOILA! He accomplishes that same thing all by himself. We are taken aback by the progress, but he is unphased by it and moves swiftly on to the next challenge.

Last night was a prime example. I was on the phone with my Mom. I put it on speaker and put a picture book in front of Brodie and pointed to things I knew he could identify. With each word he stated, some far more clearly than others, he nodded his little head with confidence. I would point to things whose identity he does not readily know and state the name. He would, in turn, look at me and try to say the word, his eyes meeting mine and awaiting my approval. It doesn't sound like a big deal to most people, but I was so proud of him. Granted, the sea creature page features, in Brodiespeak, the following: "sark", "zeehoes", "owdoeputts", "skewd", "tingway", "duffin" and "tuttle". The words may not be succinct, but they make sense when taken in context.

Similiarly, when approaching a new toy, he just plays. In the process of playing, he figures the toy out, or make up his own way to play with it. There is always something going on in his head, and you can see the determination to learn constantly. it must be the most basic of survival instincts. We see it in animals yet many of us completely miss it when it comes to kids. They might not realize that they are learning at all times, but they are. And I have found that Brodie is constantly teaching me things about the world and, more importantly, about myself.

Kids are astounding like that. They just forge ahead, unphased by mistakes they might make. They are not embarrassed if they do not pronounce things correctly. They take everything in stride, find a value in every experience and embrace everything. As adults, we let our ego, pride, nerves...you name it....stop us from letting go and letting loose. We all need to let the lessons of being a child re-enter our lives. We need to get over fear of the unknown, give up control and actually enjoy life. It wasn't until recently that I realized how little "living" was doing. I have reached the point in my life where pushing a swing and saying, "BOO!" at just the right moment have become things to which I look forward. Call me crazy, but there is a massive lesson in the smile and the laughter that they invoke. The lessons my son have taught me cannot be learned anywhere but in our heart. They make no sense to anyone who has never loved a child...son, daughter, niece, nephew, stepchild...more than life itself.

Thank you, Mr. Brodie Thomas Clements, for being the shortest, cutest, more endearing teacher I have ever had!

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