I never understood what people meant when they said their children taught them, until I became a parent. When I was pregnant, I imagined all of the things I would teach my children. I realized the gravity of the task of raising a human being and teaching them about life. Then, as I began to parent, I realized the cliches were all true; you really do learn about life from your children.
I had to take my son back to the ER today (went straight to All Children's). I held him as he was examined, evaluated, given medication, and eventually given another IV. I held him as he fell asleep in my arms, exhausted from fighting illness, sleep, and those trying to help him. By the end of our visit, after a nap and some fluids, he was sitting on the bed, hamming it up for my mom and me. Making silly faces and laughing, the type of belly laugh only heard out of a child. He hugged me when I picked him up to get him ready to go home, and though I was the one who had allowed people to do things he couldn't understand to him, I was still his favorite person. He still trusts me enough to know that I'll do the best I can to care for him.
As I sat looking at the few pictures I took while we were there, I realized how very lucky I am to have these two little people in my life. They teach me something new about the world and myself every day. They teach me about the person I want to be, and make me strive to make them proud to call me Mommy. They've helped me find strength and resilience, patience and courage. No matter what I may teach them along the way, it pales in comparison to what I've already learned from them.
No comments:
Post a Comment