Who's teaching whom?

As parents, we are learning the importance of teaching our children guiding principles that will help shape them to become respectful and respectable adults.  What I am also learning is that sometimes I’m not the teacher.  Sometimes they are the teachers, and I am the student.  My Mom reminds me to listen to my children.  Observe and learn from them. 

Emory, my daughter who is approaching age two, is my Little Miss Independent soul.  She knows exactly what she wants, she goes after it and has no fear in the process.  I find her climbing up on anything that is climbable to get to the goal.  She has stood in the center of our kitchen table getting to what she had her eye on, and daily she utilizes the drawers so that she can climb up to reach what is on the counter top. 

On any given day, we may hear these words at our house:
“Mommy, I do it.”
“Daddy, sit down.”
“Get up, buther Peston” (Brother Preston).
“I put my shoes on.”
“I take it off.”
“I go feed Meg” (our dog).
The list continues.

Preston, my four year old son, is my introspective soul.  He studies and observes his surroundings.  He has a remarkable memory and recalls things that happened quite some time ago.  Preston thinks through processes, loves to read and loves to build blocks and puzzles. 

Just recently, Preston and I were driving on an overpass when out of the clear blue, this became our conversation:
Preston - "Mama, are we on the highway?”
Me – “We sure are, buddy.”
Preston – “When are we going to be on the low-way?”
Hmm…I hadn’t thought of it like that before. 

Several days after that conversation, he came full circle with it as we were driving alongside that same overpass but on the lower level.
Preston – “Look Mama, now we’re on the low-way!”
Me – “Hmm…well, yes, we are!”

It’s amazing what can be learned when we take a step back and observe.  I’m proud that Emory is an independent soul who knows no fear.  I’m excited to know that Preston takes a moment to examine the world and what it has to offer.  I pray that we, as parents, accept their wonderful qualities and not try to place them into a mold that doesn’t fit who they are as individuals. 

Julie Swink is a Sr. Marketing Specialist at Texas Health Resources and Mom of two little teachers.