As a mom of three littles, I’ve found some deep wisdom from my sweet ones. It often comes out of nowhere and takes me off guard a bit. I thought I would share some of my favorite nuggets with you and see if you can relate to them the way I did.
Once, my (then) 8- year-old came into the office way after bedtime. (Why do these conversations always happen after bedtime?!) He had a deep look of extreme concern on his face as he said, “I don’t think I’m safe to be around anymore.” We immediately asked why, and he responded by telling us that his body is dangerous. It was shooting sparks out of his fingers and hair into his blanket and he didn’t want to electrocute us. Of course we chuckled and put his mind at ease by explaining the science he was experiencing.
But how interesting to observe the way the mind can be so sure, so confident of something so false! How often do we believe a perception we have and allow it to cause a chain reaction in our lives? Even to the point of harming relationships with others or ourselves! We should check and double- check ourselves and our perceptions. Is it based on truth? Is it going to serve me or harm me? Can I tell a trusted loved one about this and get a second opinion to make sure? Our minds are powerful, but they can also lead us astray if we aren’t careful.
When my daughter was beginning to outgrow her naps she was often disoriented when waking up and some days were harder to sleep than others. One night she was struggling to fall asleep after having had a nap earlier in the day. She toddled in with her messy hair and simply asked, “Mom, why did Jesus make it this way: Morning, morning, night. Morning, morning, night?” I got such a chuckle out of her confusion and could understand why that would be hard to wrap your mind around when you’re three!
But doesn’t life sometimes seem like that? We have our mornings of light, strength, clarity and progress. And we also have our nights of struggle, hardship, sadness, and pain. Sometimes it even feels like Night, Night, Morning! So why does it have to be that way?
In a recent family scripture study I asked my son that if I were to describe how to ride a bike really really well, could he have jumped on and started riding? Why not? What if I explained in great detail the flavor of chocolate, would he know exactly what chocolate tasted like if he’d never had any before? Why not? Well, because in order to truly learn, we have to experience life for ourselves. Don’t you appreciate the healthy days so much more after you’ve recovered from a sickness? To know how sweet the sweet really is, we also need to know the bitter.
This last Mother’s Day my kids had gone into the basement and had arranged all of their homemade gifts ‘just so’ on the piano bench and brought me down to present them to me. As we got closer my daughter said, “Oh, no. Not again!” I looked and saw a trail of candy wrappers that led to an empty homemade basket she had previously filled with candy. Just days before this little episode, my youngest had been caught eating his older brother’s stash as well. He was quickly becoming a notorious candy thief, and it was quite upsetting to his older siblings. That night at prayer time, my daughter prayed, “Please bless Carson to break his habitat of stealing.” Of course she meant ‘habit’ of stealing, but perhaps there’s something to learn here as well.
Do we create habitats of mistakes for ourselves? Carson’s siblings were leaving these temptations out in the open so he was simply indulging in what was before him! Do we create traps for ourselves? Do we unintentionally undermine ourselves? Be it treats, certain environments, or certain relationships, how can we create habitats of success instead?
There is so much to learn from kids. Mine are often a mirror of my own behaviors and it seems extra glaring when I see those behaviors coming back at me!! They really do have wisdom in their ability to be quick to forgive, quick to love, and deep in their trust and compassion.
I reached out to my circle for some “out of the mouths of babes” moments and got some pretty funny responses. These may not bring wisdom, but hopefully they’ll bring a smile to your face. Please comment below if you have any of your own!!
As a grandma, I have the “stereotypical” baggy arms. One day my young granddaughter was sitting next to me and asked, referring to my arm, “What is this?” I replied, “My arm. What does it look like to you?” Her response, “A chicken with no face.” (I haven’t laughed so hard in years, I think.)
5 year-old: “What you’re doing to my brain is making me lie to you… My brain is crushing my soul.”
When I opened a bottle that made an explosive popping sound, “That was gonna blink my eyes!”
“I saw my mom watching me steal her make-up… I saw her wearing the peaking eye.”
C: “I have a nose, too!”
Mom: “You do!? What does your nose do??”
C: “It plunges out fishies.”
While on a road trip: “Mom, I’m snackery. I’m just snackful.”
Three year old taking daddy a treat while he was on a video call whispered, “Shhh… don’t know I’m here,” (then backed slowly out of the room).
“Mommy, somethings bothering me.” (I help her fix the problem.) “Thanks for unbothering me!”
Now share some of yours!
The other day I was driving with my two-year-old in the car and she saw a convertible with its top down right next to us. She exclaimed, “Mommy! That car’s head falled off!”