DISQUS

AmandaNatividad · 1 month ago

I love this post, Carla!

To build on lesson #3 of living in the moment, I think we can all learn from kids' ability to forgive. How often do we hold grudges without even meaning to? How often to do we grit our teeth and say, "it's fine" to a loved one - without really getting past the problem? When a child is upset about something, chances are he or she won't pout about it for the entire day, let alone couple of days. Let's all remember to truly forgive and forget!

christopherakasuperman · 1 month ago

That was beautiful! I am going to put that into practice. A very moving remider.
I do love the easiness with which children can just walk to someone and ask, "Do you want to be my friend?" They can make most things seem so easy, and truth be told they really are-we (adults) just choose to make things more complicated and difficult.

Thanks for the reminders!

Lindsay D Willett · 1 month ago

Love this post...
But as someone who is almost always emotionally nekkid, Gotta say.. It's not always best.
Keep up the great work.

lauriesanchez · 1 month ago

I especially love #2! So true! I used to just love watching my daughter (when she was in preschool or early-grade-school) walk up to some little girl in the grocery store or IKEA and just say, "Do you want to be my friend?" and the girl would always say, "Sure!" and they'd hold hands and go frolicking off. It was so sweet and simple and pure. On the first day of kindergarten, I remember my daughter asked a new girl "Do you want to be my BEST friend?" and the girl said yes! And then ... they were! Truly. All year.

Doesn't get any simpler than that. Kids are so open and accepting of each other. There's no ego involved in friendship when you're five.

Nicole McEwen · 1 month ago

Cute post, Carla! I love No. 5. I'm a manic multi-tasker - I feel guilty if I'm not doing at least two productive activities at once. It's sick. (i.e., Why just ride the elliptical when I can ride the elliptical AND read the newspaper/go through the mail/file my nails?) You're right about lil' ones being solely focused on the activity at hand. It's admirable.

I also love how toddlers are such heavy sleepers (which kind of plays into them being committed to a single activity). Nothing will stop them from catching zzz's. I envy that!

vrangachar · 1 month ago

Carla, you said it! I've learned lots from my daughter and she's made me a better person.
Her most important lesson? Love, always. She used to sign her cards to me that way.
And be silly sometimes.

Erica · 1 month ago

Such a fabulous article. Number 3 is my favorite with number 6 a close second :). You have such a way with words

moonduster · 1 month ago

I love this post! As a mother of toddlers myself I can relate to the things you're seeing in your own daughter. I've always felt that it would be a better world if we all allowed ourselves to learn a few things from our children, and learned how to be childlike once in a while. :)

YumYucky · 1 month ago

Oh my gosh. I need to stop and smell the roses. Life Lessons indeed. Now I will go back to the top and re-read this so it sinks in ALL the way.....

trishiamsucceeding · 1 month ago

I have 3 beautiful children that oer the past 15 years I ahve been blessed to relive amny new experiences with...watch them grow in amazement...lear new things. The added benefit of being their teacher as well as Mom. I am so blessed to be able to spend almost every waking hour with them...their whole lives. I watched them literally being born as well as become more alive with each new experience.

I totally agree with every single point you made...more need to wake up an take notice as well to what you have written.

Yesterday, though, I experienced something that I think...emotionally...had the same effeect on me in many ways. I watched as a dear frined of many years took his last breath. I watched helpless as his life force left his body and as I watched his wife...also very dear to me...collapsed in my arms. For her...at that very moment....her life as she has known it for 50 years...ended as well.

Life and death awakens inner feelings of awe...on so many levels.

Thank you Carla for this fabulous reminder of how dear and precious life...our children...all those around us...especially the ones near and dear to our hearts are.

mizfit · 1 month ago

Id comment but we've been up since 430a playing with barbies and it's time to carpet rollerskate.

and since I no longer multitask and all...

Ill be back.

South Beach Steve · 1 month ago

Mizfit, this is a fantastic post. If we could all only see the world through a child's eyes. Thanks for the perspective this morning.

Diane Fit to the Finish · 1 month ago

I've learned more from my 7 kids than I ever learned in all the years I went to school. Their unbridled curiousity, their zest for life, and their inhibitions make it a learning experience every day.

Here's one a little off topic, but when I was morbidly obese, children often just said the truth about my appearance. And you know what? It never hurt my feelings because they were just being honest.

I especially like your number 2 - something I need to do better!

Lainie (Fit Fig) · 1 month ago

Thanks for this, Miz. Sometimes I just notice how selfish my kids are--especially the baby. Sheesh, that dude is so self-centered; talk about a sense of entitlement! ;) Kidding (mostly). My boys do remind me to live in the moment and they're fascinated by every little thing I take for granted--from garbage trucks to falling leaves.

lauriesanchez · 1 month ago

This comment made me laugh, Lainie, because I suddenly remembered my youngest son and how much he loved the garbage truck when he was a toddler! He'd hear it coming from way down the street and would rush over to the window (he was only about 2). I would plough my knees into the couch cushions with him and we'd look over the back of the couch, out the window, for about 20 whole minutes, just watching that garbage truck go sloooooooooowly by the house. I was fascinated that HE was so fascinated! But what a great thing -- just focusing on the wonders of the outside world for 20 whole minutes. (And not multitasking! Yay!) Thanks for the memory! :)

Lainie (Fit Fig) · 1 month ago

My oldest was fascinated with "rubbish collection trucks" when we lived in England. :) One of mine was in that leaning-over-the-back-of-the-couch pose today but watching tree cutters rather than a garbage truck. Picture here: http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g76/lainiefig...

POD1739 · 1 month ago

Loved the post, Miz. I feel I'm rewriting all my attempts to get back to Tornado learnings at age 53.
;-)

Jody - Fit at almost 52 · 1 month ago

Awesome post!!!!!!!!!!!!! I so need to get better at a lot of this BUT I really want to learn better about being in the moment & imagine! I am always thinking abut what is coming up next & what I have to do & I don't want to imagine cause I fear it will not be so based on real life stuff... BUT we need to just let that be & be in the moment!

THX MIZ! AND TORNADO PIC.... CUTEST THING!!!!! MAKING MY DAY EARLY!

carriebb21 · 1 month ago

I love this and it is so true. I say all the time why does Savannah notice things that I don't. She teaches me to take time to "smell the roses"--literally and figuratively. She smells every flower she sees. She picks up leaves and acorns now that autumn is upon us. She notices airplanes, birds, and playgrounds that I do not see. I love looking at the world through her eyes. I love the one about multi-tasking. So true. You cannot get a 3 year old to do more than one thing at a time.

Valerie · 1 month ago

I really miss having small children around for just this reason. All the things we obsess over seem so unimportant when viewed through the lens of a child's eyes - and the things we take for granted become amazing and beautiful all over again.

One of the biggest things I have taken away from motherhood, or being around children in general I suppose, is forgiveness. Children don't hold grudges. Did you snap at them for absolutely no reason other than the fact that you were having a bad day? Well, it broke their little heart at the time - but they were ready and waiting with a hug and a "Mommy, I love you SO much" ten minutes later. They don't guard against a repeat of the bad behavior - they trust us to be better than that, every time, and that is so humbling. It's made me a better person, I know that, because I want to live up to it. I want to see the joy in those eyes, not the disappointment.

But the lesson is that any wall you build to keep out the bad also keeps out the good, and any life half-lived is no life at all. Yes, you'll get hurt - but the hurt is survivable, and the love and joy you'll experience by being open is so worth it. Giving someone a second chance, or maybe even a third, doesn't make you a fool. It makes you hopeful. And I've found that often, if you expect the best from people, you'll get it.

V.

dragonmammanaomi · 1 month ago

This is why, now that my kids are 18 and 21, I work as a lunch monitor at an elementary school. Being around that youthful energy and innocence helps me keep a fresh outlook on life.

Debra · 1 month ago

Thank you for the life lesson reminders. It is all so simple and true but how easy we forget.

joannasutter · 1 month ago

I love your 6 lessons...especially the multi-tasking one...I need to learn how to do one thing at a time again. Thanks for the reminders to slow down and live in the moment.

Crabby McSlacker · 1 month ago

Love this post!

I rarely regret that I don't have kids, but I realize that for all the hassles you parents put up with, there is such great joy and learning that goes along with the responsibilities.

Thanks for sharing the inspiration, especially for those of us who don't have little "teachers" of our own at home!

Sagan · 1 month ago

This is beautiful. Children really know how to LIVE- and I think that's because they do it by intuition; it hasn't yet been drilled into them how they are supposed to think and act.

Number two on this list reminds me of the Blogger Harvest Tour in California... I hadn't met anyone before but by the second day, one of the other bloggers and I were already hugging each other goodbye and earnestly talking about how nice it was to have met. We were all instant friends and it was so nice.

I'm all about the last one. I try to spend a little bit of time every day in my room without anything on, and I think it does wonders for making me more comfortable with who I am.

mizfit · 1 month ago

Valerie? this sentence really struck a chord with me:

I really miss having small children around for just this reason.

Im working to step back and work less when the Girl is around.
I can work while she's asleep. I can work while shes enjoying some Daddy-time.
I just know that when she's even just a little older Ill miss the reminder of EMBRACE LIFE that her little self is.

Gina Fit by 41, Maybe 42 · 1 month ago

"Can I pleeeeease have another piece of Halloween candy?"

Actullay, maybe my children learned that from me.

Great post!

40somethingsjourney · 1 month ago

What a lovely post. I'm so glad you are a mama in the moment, noticing all that your daughter sees and does. Makes me miss the days when my boys were young!

pubsgal · 1 month ago

Wonderfully written, and so true! Learning from my little teachers every day. (Although sometimes what I learn about myself isn't so pretty, it's good for my growth. ;-)

TB--Milwaukee · 1 month ago

I love that my kids take everything in stride and are never rushed. Why do we have clocks anyway? Living in the moment is so important.

CertifiablyFit · 1 month ago

Great list of lessons! Thanks for sharing

quix · 1 month ago

Love this. The world is such a cool place if you stop being so jaded. I went back and read some old stuff I wrote and was amazed at how wide-eyed I was back then, and aspire to get back there. Somehow. Someway.

Marste · 1 month ago

Wow, what a great post. I needed some reminders like that today!

(And I LOVE the picture of the Tornado that you linked through!)

charlotte · 1 month ago

I think this may be my favorite post of yours I've read yet! As a mom of several wee ones, I am grateful for your reminder to slow down and learn from them. And you are so right about the nakie time. My kids are so absolutely delighted with their bodies that it makes me wonder how we ever lose that.

Gina · 1 month ago

What a beautiful post! I really love #2:)

Diana · 1 month ago

This was an awesome post :) Love it. If only we could all remember this every day. Life would be a lot more pleasant!

mizfit · 1 month ago

I love my Peeps. You all rock. Seriously.

**skips off to (waitforit) hopscotch**

extremefitnessresults · 1 month ago

Excellent post, and so true. Funny how everybody starts out like your daughter, and then some twenty or thirty years later they have to go back to square one and learn what came naturally to them in the beginning :P

Suganthi Balasubramanian · 1 month ago

Love this post. Yes, I agree on all counts. Esp. #1. I have a very child-like personality, but even for me, #1 is plain amazing. But I do think the jaw dropping is different as we grow older... for eg.. seeing a new leaf, a seedling is exciting when you see it as a child, but now.. I am still excited, but in a whole new sort of way. I literally gasp at the breathtaking beauty of trees, their resilience and burst into tears.. the awesomeness of real life, the ridiculous worrying of the minutiae of it and how I can feel both stressed and blessed at the same time.

I was beginning to feel that I was getting old and lo and behold.. there I was early morning cutting open my kids Halloween booty, the tiny M and M's in the little pouch and I had to sample every color like a kid. And I though to myself.. ha.. I am never getting old..

Bleesed with two children, enjoy every minute with them and am stressed a lot, but truly aware of all my blessings in life. GREAT POST!

FatFighterTV · 1 month ago

Beautiful post, and so true. We need to remember all of this every day.

hanlie · 1 month ago

What a beautiful post! Thanks for this, Miz!

DeannaBartels · 1 month ago

I'm not sure this is the kind of comment you meant when writing this interesting article. I think to appreciate ones children and the many benefits they bring to life is a lesson most people even parents can learn. What I mean is, when contemplating children, "to have or not to have," I hear so many people say that they do not want children b/c they are afraid of how much they have to give up. I say, "Give up??? Why do you have to give up anything???" I don't look at it as giving up anything, I look at it as gaining so much more. There is no reason to cancel the trips to far away magical places just b/c one has a child, or forget the movie nights out. . . The list goes on. I think of it as "I'm still going to do these things, only, I will be adding an extra adoring friend to enjoy these things with me." As you pointed out, kids have a way of viewing everything as exciting. This means same old same old mundane things get to be experienced through the wonderment of "The first time again." Which means, anything that you planned b4 having children gets experienced not only 2 fold b/c you're experiencing it with an extra little body, but even the same old same old things become exciting again. For instance, as an adult, a plane ride may be same old same old, no big deal, gone are the days when things like this were anything to get excited about. Now take a wonderful little bundle of "I'm experiencing this for the first time," along with you (especially someone you're built in to love), and you're suddenly experiencing it for the first time again too, ONLY TWO FOLD!! :) Now a real life everyday example. We got our first nearly brand new car the other day. Never b4 have we owned a car that was beautiful enough that I would even consider spending the time or money in taking to a car wash. But being nearly brand new and beautiful, I took all my children, 13 on up to even 19 years old, to the car wash. PLUS A FEW OF THEIR FRIENDS!! The excitement was unbelievable. You'd swear they were a bunch of adults going into a 5 star resort hotel in the Bahamas for the first time! They watched every step with breath taking awe, even at their advanced age they are obviously still not drained of the ability to see simple things through the eyes of childlike wonder. Then once out of the car wash, they rolled down the windows, stuck their heads out and just marveled over how beautiful and clean our car now looked. Once home, they stood outside the car and then insisted that I get out of the car too and partake in how exciting it was to see our car sparkle as only a car wash could make it sparkle. Tell me when the last time was that you went through a car wash just FOR FUN. Not possible as a single adult. Not even possible as an adult with a partner. Only with kids could simple mundane same old same old experiences be able to come alive again. So, we learn some truths not only through the mouths of babes, but maybe through the eyes of babes as well??

karathom · 1 month ago

Miz--Lovely post. AND we have the same princess dress up here. I also love that you know what a child is thinking. There's no passive aggressive wondering what does she really mean when she says that? No, she says exactly what is on her mind! No guessing games. Wouldn't that make life more simple? Hmmm... maybe to a degree:-)

Lyn · 1 month ago

Wonderful! My girl is your girl's age and her exclamations of "WOW, look!" always make me stop and see things with new eyes. In fact now that I am not blanketed in a sugar coma from junk food, EVERYTHING looks brighter.

Social Rule · 1 month ago

Big thanks goes to you for such a nice, informative yet entertaining blog! Reminding us of what we can learn from our children bring us to the reality that they are of paramount importance in our life and the world in general. Reading your blog somehow alleviates all the stresses and pressures that child-rearing brings in a mother"s life...

Stephanie Quilao · 1 month ago

LOVE LOVE this! I think it's one of your best works ever :-D Right now I'm practicing Imagine and remembering that magic exists. It does! Since moving to Phoenix and being more open to newness, I've experienced so many magical things. It's so awesome!

Sarah · 1 month ago

beautiful post, thank you. something I needed today is 5, and I am going to use this for myself today : )

Fatinah · 1 month ago

wow - thanks for sharing