What my children have taught me

Since the birth of my first child Lily (three and a half years ago) my husband and I have bent over backwards to entertain this child. Weekends have been chalked full with festivals, museums, zoo days, fairs, etc.  We worked hard to enrich Lily and to treat her to new experiences. The funny thing is, one of her favorite things to do is sit in the driveway with me and draw with chalk.  She also loves to lay in the living room floor with me and color. Lily has taught me that it doesn’t matter what we do or where we go, she just likes spending one on one time with me.

My second child, Logan (still a baby) has taught me so much in his short life. He seems to be growing at warp speed and he’s taught me to hold on to the moment and cherish all the precious time we have together.   He’s also taught me to relax and not be so uptight about everything. He brings to light the neurosis I had as a first time mother and teaches me that everything doesn’t always have to be perfect.

As a parent we have a lot of responsibilities to teach our children.  But no one ever told me how much they would teach me.

Since becoming a mother, I’ve learned true, unconditional love.  I think hard about my words and even harder about my actions.   I realize my children observe my actions and my responses and this will later shape how they respond to people and situations.  My children have taught me to be a better person.

It’s funny but parenting also teaches me about my own childhood. Recently I was cleaning the dining room in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner. Lily was ecstatic to assist me with crawling under the table to dust the table legs and helping to dust all six dining room chairs.  She beamed with pride at how much fun she was having. I flashed back to being a child myself, aiming to please my mother and wanting so bad to help her clean. I realized that my mother allowing me to help her dust served multiple purposes:  she taught me how to keep a home, she taught me responsibility, and she spent one on one time with me.

Parents definitely have a teaching role in the parent/child relationship, but children also have a lot to teach us if we’re willing to learn. What have your children taught you?

Mindy Seals works in the information technology division at Texas Health Resourcesand is balancing work, married life and raising two kids.