"Mommy, how long before we get dead?" my 4-year-old asked me as we were walking down a path after feeding some ducks.
"Not for a very long while, sweetheart," I replied.
A few short steps later, we saw a crow, dead in the bushes. We stopped and checked it out for a few moments. Lots of questions came up; I listened and answered the best I could.
These kinds of conversations are ones we have all day long. They’re deep; really, they are. If you listen to what your kids really ask and say to you, you can have a better understanding of how their minds work. You’ll know what they worry about, and what they are learning.
I know I am my child’s first and greatest teacher. I’m their role model, their best example, and the one whom they are going to look to for answers to life’s greatest questions. I’m winging it, for I am still learning about life myself. Little do they know, they are teaching mommy a whole lot along the way.
"Mom, can I tell you something?" This is how my 6-year-old seems to start every conversation with me. It’s funny to me that she asks this before speaking. I make sure to always respond, "Yes, you can tell me anything." I have three girls; they like to talk, a lot. Sometimes I do secretly wish for a few moments of silence, but I am thankful that I have three girls who want to talk to me. The very least I can do is give them my attention and listen.
I love listening to their conversations with one another. Overheard in the bathtub the other night: "Yes, mermaids really do poop. I saw a real one once when I was 2 and she pooped."
This from the lips of my 6-year-old. My other two girls were in awe of their older sister. I'm not sure if they were impressed that she saw a real mermaid, or that mermaids might really do "number two."
Bedtime is my very most favorite time for conversing. It’s a time that my girls and I are out of our hustle and bustle mode. It is a time that we can sit, lay, snuggle and just chat. So much comes up. It’s often the time I hear about what happened during their day.
We chat and chat, until it’s time to quiet our voices and get ready to sleep. I tell them they need to recharge their minds and bodies. I stay with them until they’ve fallen asleep. Tomorrow is another day, full of wonder and questions. It is another day full of adventures and conversations. I hope that I am able to fill their lives with the right answers.
Michelle Walsh is a Menifee resident, a wife and mother of three young girls. She is a former teacher who enjoys running, exercise, sewing, gardening and socializing. Each week, she shares her experiences as a Menifee mom. Michelle welcomes your comments here.
Love this! Have two grown daughters, and always encouraged them to talk to me about anything as they were growing up. Very proud that as adults they both consider me their best friend.
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I love listening in on my two kids conversations! That's when they seem to say the funniest, silliest, interesting and sweetest things to each other, when they forget anyone else is around to hear. I have days too when I wish for just a few moments of silence so I can think, but then I quickly remember that one day they may not want to talk to me as much and it changes my attitude instantly! I hope that by having such open lines of communication now that it will be instilled in them and won't ever go away :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great reminder for those days that you are out of patience and everything seems to give you that headache. One of these days our kids might be a little too busy for their parents and I'm going to wish I had that headache again. Thanks, Michelle, for reminding me how great their conversations are!!
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