I *Thought* I Was the Teacher

I have come to realize that our children tend to teach us far more than we will ever teach them. At least, that’s been the case with me and my kids. They have taught me what love actually means to me. They have made me question my values, my priorities, my thought processes, my actions, my words, and so much more. I strive to be a better woman every day – for them and for myself. I want to set the best example possible.

I am eternally grateful to have been able to be their mom. The things my sons have taught me and shown me over the years is indescribable and overwhelming at times. One such lesson came from my youngest son.

Since he was a baby, he was authentically and unapologetically himself. He laughed when he thought something was funny and asked the questions he really wanted answers to, even if the adults said he was being inappropriate.

He was never concerned with being popular, having tons of friends, wearing the trendiest clothes, or conforming to whatever fads he saw all around him. I had never seen a child be so completely comfortable in their own skin; or even an adult for that matter.

The young man has also been a profoundly deep thinker since he was young. He was always creative and always marched to the beat of his own drum. For whatever reason, every janitor of every school he ever attended knew him. I still don’t know or understand why. (They all loved him.)

When he was in high school he told me a group of kids were trying to tease him because he was listening to 2Pac, Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony, and other artists from that era one day. They were asking why he was listening to such old music. He told them, “It’s still good music.” They had nothing else to say and left him alone.

I was concerned with him being a loner at one point and tried to encourage him to go out and meet people. He told me the concept of friends is weird to him. He asked, “What? You meet someone who likes something you like, then tell them they’re your friend now? That’s it? That’s weird.” I really had no come back.

One time, when the boys were little, they were fighting so I took all their toys away and made them sit in a room with no TV or anything else. I went to check on them and found the older kid asleep, from boredom no doubt. Not the youngest. He was “playing cars.” No, I didn’t miss any toys. He was playing with torn up pieces of toilet paper. I knew then that my attempts at disciplining the child would need to exceed his creativity.

He gets along with nearly everyone, though he’s not really close to anyone. His tenderness shines through with animals and he takes great care of his cats. He’s loyal and a great listener. His sense of humor matches mine and we laugh easily and effortlessly together. He’s definitely been a ray of sunshine in my life.

Now, as a young man, he continues to inspire me. There have been times that we’ve had some deep and profound conversations or I would share something with him and he’d see it so clearly and simply. I hope he continues to walk and live in his truth, no matter how that may look to anyone else.

Have you learned anything profound from a little one in your life?