Birthday Cake? No, Thank You

Earlier this year our youngest granddaughter, JoJo, celebrated her first birthday. I know it sounds cliché, but I honestly can’t believe how quickly the year flew by. It was a busy year, to say the least, but still…

Anyway, John and I SKYPED with them (don’t you just love SYPE?) so we could be somewhat-active participants in the celebration.

After we sang “Happy Birthday”, Essie ‘helped’ her little sister blow the candle; something JoJo showed no interest in whatsoever.  

Oh, well, no big deal. We didn’t want her trying to get the candle, anyway. But the cupcake—that was a different story. Because of her go-get-‘em and curious personality, we were just sure JoJo would dive right in; relishing every crumb and speck of icing. Wrong. She wouldn’t even touch it. Emma even offered her some of the icing, but no—not interested. 

I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Not in JoJo, of course, but disappointed that it didn’t go the way we thought it would. We were looking forward to seeing her ‘get into’ her cake—literally and figuratively. 

I’m sharing JoJo’s cupcake story with you because I want to remind you of how IMPORTANT it is to not let your expectations for your child’s experiences be the driving force behind their actions. In other words, just because our children don’t react or respond to something the way we think they will (or should) doesn’t mean they are wrong or that they’ve done something ‘bad’. Or even worse—that they’ve disappointed us. 

JoJo is adorable, sweet, amazing, and absolutely perfect just the way she is. I wouldn’t change one thing about her for anything in the world, and I will do everything I can to make sure she knows it. 

Will you do the same for your kids? I sure hope so. 

Love,

Momma D

                                        Copyright 2018 Darla Noble. No part of this can be used or copied without permission from the author. 

        The book, "Love, Momma D" is available wherever books are sold.
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