Hopefully, you’re all rested and recovered from the busy 4th of July weekend. My birthday is the day after the 4th, so we’ve been extra busy. Good, but busy!
A few weeks ago my boys and I went to Seussical the Musical with my mom and sister. Have any of you seen it? If not, you really should. You can often find it at local theater companies, and I know our high school did it one year as well. My three boys (ages 3 and 6) were so entertained! The characters, the outfits, and the music are infectious!
Horton from Horton Hatches the Egg and Horton Hears a Who is the main character in the musical. There’s a line in one of the songs that comes from Horton Hears a Who. It says, “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” I used that quote all of the time when I was teaching first grade, and now that I’m a mom I use it even more. How many times do you get in a rut of treating your child like a child? Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely things that are appropriate for children and not. I’m talking about the way we talk to our children and treat them. It’s taken me awhile to learn this, and I still have a long way to go, but I really try hard to ask myself, “would you talk to another adult (or any other person) the way you talk to your children?” The answer for me is often times no! I find myself being a bit bossy and demanding with my boys. I hope I’m not the only mom that fits into this category. But really, these little children of ours are just small people.
They need to be asked kindly and politely to do things (always use please and thank you with your children).
They need us to be patient.
They need us to listen to them.
They need us to let them do things they want (within reason).
They need to feel as important and valued as any other person.
I remember being at a gathering once where there was food for the adults, and food for the kids. One of my twins wanted the adult food (a hamburger instead of a hot dog). He was utterly confused why there would be seperate food for the kids. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with feeding kids different foods than adults, but I really felt like he had a valid point. Just ask Dr. Seuss: “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
I made up a printable of this Dr. Seuss quote for you. I’m a huge fan of his quotes (click here to see more). You can print this one out as is, but I shrunk mine down and put it on one of my chicken wire message boards right next to a picture of my three boys. I have this in my room where I can see it daily. I need daily (often multiple times a day) reminders when it comes to things like this.
Hopefully this quote will help you in your efforts to be the best parent you can be. I know it’s been one of my favorite go-to quotes when I feel myself getting a tad bit cranky with my boys. You can click here to download the printable.
Thanks so much for letting me take a bit of your time today. Stop by Blissful Roots and visit me anytime!