Things We Can Learn From Our Children

I was trying to think of something to write about for the blog this morning when I looked over at Palmer. She was looking at me and her eyes were saying so many different things. Love. Happiness. Curiosity. Honesty. She had all these different features being portrayed through her eyes, all in one simple look. And it came to me. All these attributes Palmer is displaying are things I want to learn from her.

•  Playfulness.  Sometimes as adults, I think it’s easy to take “real life” too seriously. I know I sure do. Separating the seriousness of adulthood and the playfulness that I push aside sometimes can make all the difference in having a good day or a bad day. Palmer is teaching me that being playful and taking time to do something fun is important.
• Honesty. Palmer doesn’t know anything else. Her emotions are honest. Her communication is honest.  Qualities some adults lack, including myself at times.
• Curiosity. Palmer’s brain is like a sponge right now, wanting to soak up every bit of everything around her. What happened to our curiosity? When did we stop being fascinated with everything around us
• Carefree. Obviously, as an adult, I have responsibilities (family, home, work, etc), but I know more than anyone that I am certainly not carefree. I worry about things, sometimes more than I need to. But since Palmer has come along, my priorities have changed in terms of what it is that I worry about.
• Love and Trust. Palmer is dependent on me and Mitchell to provide her everything. Just like honesty, she doesn’t know any different right now. Palmer has so much trust in us to supply her with every day needs. It’s sad that as we grow, we need to be cautious of who we can trust. I can trust my family. My friends. But after that, who? I’m sure there are a lot more good than bad people in the world, but it’s sad to say, trust is becoming more and more, a lost characteristic.
• Finding happiness in the little things.  Palmer’s curiosity makes it easy for her to enjoy the little things. Give her a wash cloth and she can chew on it and play with it for a while. Put her in her jumparoo and she will go to town jumping around for an hour. Now, I’m not saying a cardboard box needs to make you happy, or that you should find joy in a wash cloth, but happiness doesn’t need to come from material things. I could honestly sit and watch Palmer’s expressions for hours.  I am content just watching her play on the floor. I lay in bed in the morning, smiling to myself, listening to her “sing” in her bed.  I watch Palmer and Mitch together and my heart melts. It’s all those little things that make up happiness.

So, with one simple look this morning, Palmer made me think of all these things. It truly is incredible how one little girl, who can’t even speak words yet, can speak so loudly, just with a look. I love her!!