Earlier this evening I was eating supper with the kids, and I told them I was going to write an article tonight, but I didn’t know what to write about. I asked them what they thought, and the boy said, “Maybe you can write about people helping other people.” I said that was a good idea, but I still didn’t know exactly who to write about. We all sat around puzzled for a moment, and then I said, “How about we each do something after supper to help one other person, and then I’ll write about what we all did?” There was an excited chatter of agreement, and the matter was settled.
After we finished our supper, I asked the oldest what he was going to do to help one of us. He said that he wanted to do something for everyone, and then went around and said “I love you” to each one of us.
I then asked the girl what she wanted to do, and she replied that she wanted to help do the dishes, so she led in the washing, and we all pitched in to help.
Finally, I asked the little guy what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to give us all hugs, so he went around and did that.
The oldest then asked me what I wanted to do, and I said that I wanted to spend time with all of them. So that’s what we did for the rest of night . . . four-player Super Smash Brothers on the Nintendo 64, and then reading books together (including The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter).
What struck me about this little exercise was the fact that I prompted them to do something nice for one person, because I thought it would be too much to think of something nice to do for all of us. But the kids surprised me by doing something small and easy that they could do in a meaningful way quickly and easily for everyone present. It seems they know the theme of this site better than I do sometimes. Their ages are 8, 5 and 3. I’m impressed.
Have a good night, all. And if you have little ones around, cherish every moment you have with them.
It doesn’t last forever.
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