What a wonderful long weekend it has been. We not only accomplished a lot of things but were also able to spend plenty of time together with family.
Having Easter weekend so late in April and with such nice weather we were actually able to have an outdoor egg hunt, something I can honestly say I don’t recall ever having been able to do before. It is always either raining, snowing or freezing ass cold.
I’m always so proud to see how without being asked or reminded my girls split the treats equally. There is a constant tally from them on how many of each thing they have so that they know who gets the next item found. They don’t even seem to think about it as sharing or being fair it is simply what they do.
When children are young parents always wonders if you will be able to teach them how to be kind and fair to those around them. I still wonder how I’m doing and can’t explain how I am teaching/have taught my kids these things but it appears something my husband and I are doing is working. I find no greater satisfaction as a parent than when I see my children being kind and caring.
It reminded me of an incident a long time ago when E was not quite 3 years old and she saw someone begging on the street for the first time. She asked me what he was doing and why.
I don’t recall exactly what I said to her but I tried my best to explain to her that some people need help and this is sometimes the only way they know how to get it. She asked what his sign said and I explained that it said he was hungry and he was asking for help. I know I wasn’t sure how to explain it to her and was worried about saying the wrong thing.
When I asked her if she understood she reached into her lunch kit and took out her snacks handed them to me and said “If he is hungry he can have my snack I have oatmeal in my cubby at daycare”.
I admit the cynical part of me was worried he would turn out to be an addict whose only interest was money for his next fix and then I would have to explain that to her. I also didn’t want to offend him by offering such a paltry thing as a child’s snack. It was 3 small items a pudding, an applesauce and a fruit. I offered it anyways and he gladly took it and said thank you.
We continued on our way to daycare and by the time we pulled in she had moved on in her mind and didn’t think on it anymore. I did though I carried that shot of pride and a smile around with me all day. She had simply looked at his need and had done what she could without judgment or conscience thought.
I think it remains one of my proudest moments as a parent. It reminded me to be a little less cynical and that even if you can only do something small it’s better than nothing at all.
