My youngest boy currently thinks I hung the moon in the sky - not a bad place for a mom to be.
Whatever mama does, he does too.
He is home with me all day and wants to mimic my every action. Even if this includes scrubbing the bath tub, jumping rope in place, eating Brussels sprouts, or putting on eyeliner … yes, I have to say, he’s not so good at that.
It’s amazing to see your kids absorb life like a sponge … even when the sponge is named SpongeBob Squarepants.
They notice everything, down to the minute detail.
They also pick up on some of your not-so-wonderful habits as well. You know, the ones you try to hide from the rest of the world? The bad words you say when you drop a glass bowl on your toes, the fact that you really hate making your bed, the cookies you sneak late at night, or the fun you poke at your relatives when they are gone. (No, certainly not.)
Yes, they are watching you. And trust me, they don’t miss a beat.
Lately I wear socks around the house, and even to bed because it’s been so cold.
So Garrett has started doing this as well. As I lay in bed with the boys, trying to get them to fall asleep, he keeps asking, “Mommy, you still got your socks on?” I reply, “Yes, I still have my socks on.” He smiles and whispers, “Me, too.” Then he relaxes, takes a deep breath, and finally tries to close his eyes.
It gives kids comfort to be similar to their parents. It brings stability to their lives to know you are there, and the one thing that never seems to really change. The one thing they can depend on.
Children’s worlds are ever changing, way more so than the world does for us. Every day they learn there is something just a little bit further than they thought. At first it’s just the realization that there’s something past the front door; then it’s on to finding out there are multiple towns, distant countries, various climates, different people. They are constantly being made aware that there are bigger things out there.
It’s something we really all need to think about again.
As we grow up, suddenly everything becomes smaller - our circles of friends, our interests, our thoughts. Everything is all about us and the hardships or triumphs we’ve had on a day-to-day basis - just small blips along the way in the journey of life.
Looking back, sometimes I made the most to-do out of the most insignificant things. They always say, don’t sweat the small stuff, because it’s true.
And remember, they are watching you.
Every thought, every action.
Help them know what’s important in life and what’s really not. Let them know it’s OK to think about the great, big world around them. Boost their curiosity about the penguins in Antarctica, the dinosaurs of long ago and the moon in the sky.
And yes, while they may still think you are the one that put it there, it’s that excitement for bigger things you should encourage them to hold on to.
Then take a deep breath, and enjoy that at the moment, with all the people in the world, they want to be just like you.
