If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you will have realized that I love learning life lessons from my children. As a friend and professor of mine has said “Sometimes children make the best professors.” What an accurate statement! You’ll remember that I’ve been taught a variety of lessons from my two daughters, ranging from adversity to persistence to smiling. Well, it’s time to add one more to the list! This story is my lesson on perseverance, as taught by my 11 month old daughter:
If you have kids (or have been around kids) you realize that you’re always coming up on different milestones. You remember the first word they said. You remember when they started crawling. You may even remember their first “all-out-on-the-floor-wailing-and-screaming-fit.” Well, my 11month old (she’ll be one year on July 3rd) has hit the “walking milestone.” She can now stand up on her own and take 2-3 steps before she falls to her knees and cruises to her intended target.
As I’ve watched her through this stage over the last few weeks, I have really seen what perseverance can do for a person. My daughter started by walking along furniture, until one day she decided to “let go” and immediately fell down. This didn’t stop her though. She continued to try, time after time, day after day until she was able to stand by herself, in balance, without falling. Then, she was ready to take a step. I remember her looking around, trying to figure out how she was going to get to her toys now that she was standing. She tried to take a step and down she went, falling to her hands and knees. Again, she stuck with it, immediately getting up and trying again, time after time, day after day, until she was able to take a couple steps. Yes, she’s fallen. She’s bumped her head. She’s scraped her toes and knees on the pavement. Yet, she has persevered; bound and determined to walk to where she wants to go.
As a parent, it’s a proud moment seeing the will in your child’s eyes, and the perseverance in her actions. It’s been an amazing journey for her as she continues to strive towards walking, persevering through all her falls, and bumps, and bruises.
If you have kids (or have been around kids) you realize that you’re always coming up on different milestones. You remember the first word they said. You remember when they started crawling. You may even remember their first “all-out-on-the-floor-wailing-and-screaming-fit.” Well, my 11month old (she’ll be one year on July 3rd) has hit the “walking milestone.” She can now stand up on her own and take 2-3 steps before she falls to her knees and cruises to her intended target.
As I’ve watched her through this stage over the last few weeks, I have really seen what perseverance can do for a person. My daughter started by walking along furniture, until one day she decided to “let go” and immediately fell down. This didn’t stop her though. She continued to try, time after time, day after day until she was able to stand by herself, in balance, without falling. Then, she was ready to take a step. I remember her looking around, trying to figure out how she was going to get to her toys now that she was standing. She tried to take a step and down she went, falling to her hands and knees. Again, she stuck with it, immediately getting up and trying again, time after time, day after day, until she was able to take a couple steps. Yes, she’s fallen. She’s bumped her head. She’s scraped her toes and knees on the pavement. Yet, she has persevered; bound and determined to walk to where she wants to go.
As a parent, it’s a proud moment seeing the will in your child’s eyes, and the perseverance in her actions. It’s been an amazing journey for her as she continues to strive towards walking, persevering through all her falls, and bumps, and bruises.
Couldn’t we learn something from this? I mean, after all “Sometimes children do make the best professors.” Don’t we all fail sometimes, whether in work, or play, or life? We fall down. We get bumps and bruises along the way. When it happens though, what’s our response? Do we give up? Do we quit trying? Or, do we do what my 11 month old daughter would want us to do, and keep pushing on, ever persevering towards our ultimate goals?
Something to ponder on today!
Something to ponder on today!
note: picture courtesy of http://www.windmillcountry.com/images/34036_72dpi.jpg
4 comments:
Fully agree, Eric. Kids taught me plenty of lessons. When I started my network marketing business 9 years ago, kids are the ones that taught me how to take the "No" not-too emotionally. They never stop asking and attempting 'difficult' tasks even with many "NOs"!
Great reminder!
Thank you Jacklyn. It's funny how kids (mine anyway) have learned to "not take No for an answer." Of course, this isn't always in their best interest, especially when mommy and daddy are convinced that "No" IS the best answer.
My children teach me lessons all the time!! I'm sure I'll have more to post soon! Thanks again for stopping by and keeping the conversation going.
I love this post! In an odd way, my nieces and nephews have taught me more values than my parents: the values of wonder, curiousity, joy, acceptance, persistance and more!
Brenda,
Children are amazing teachers. It's almost ironic that we are suppose to be teaching them, yet we are learning so much from them. The values you've learned from your nieces and nephews are definitely worth holding on to.
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