I still remember the day we received a package in the mail from our (then) three year-old grandson, Reuben. Okay, so his mom addressed it for him, but it
was his idea to send it, so yah, it was from Reuben.
Inside the package was a wooden birdhouse—the kind you get
at the dollar store to paint and decorate. And was it ever! Each wall of the
birdhouse was different, but the one I want to talk about today was the one
that had a little blue handprint on it.
This little blue handprint was the result of Reuben allowing
Olivia to smear blue paint all over his hand so that he could make the
impression on the birdhouse. Big deal, you say. Lots of kids have done that.
Yes, I know, but to Reuben it really was a big deal. It was a really big deal because ordinarily
Reuben wants and needs things to be ‘as they are supposed to be’. Paint isn’t
supposed to be on your hands. It is supposed to be on brushes and paper and
walls. So for him to consent to throwing conventionality out the window was
HUGE to him—a major accomplishment.
And knowing his reply to Olivia when she asked him what he
wanted to do with the birdhouse after they were done with it, was, “Send it to
Nanna”....well that was huge to me. J
What accomplishments are huge to your kids? Do you even
know? And more importantly, do you recognize them as such? Do you applaud the
milestones they reach even though they may not seem like a big deal to someone
else? Do you recognize and celebrate the hurdles they clear when they conquer a
fear or try something outside of their comfort zone? Do you let them know you
appreciate and respect the efforts they make?
So while I know a little blue hand may not seem like much to
some of you, I’m just as sure your kids have their own ‘little blue hand’ they
need you to encourage them to experience and celebrate with them when they do.
The question is, will you?
Love,
Momma D
PS: Stay tuned next week for Little Blue Hand: The Sequal
Copyright 2016 Darla Noble. No part of this can be used or copied without permission from the author.
