A parenting victory

Parenting victories don't seem to come along often, and so I like to note when they do.

I am trying very hard to teach my children to find something to love about everyone and everything. When are eating a meal, I ask my kids to find one nice thing they can say about it. I am doing this because I would mortified if they were invited to a friends house for a meal and said some of the stuff they say to me about my meals. Joshua is getting very good at it. There was one meal I made that he just didn't like at all. I told him he doesn't have to like everything, but he can still find something nice to say about it. He told me he liked that I made it so colorful. :) That counts! Any compliment works.

I try to do this same thing when they talk about their teachers or friends at school I ask them what they like about being with these people. I try to teach them that if someone is "weird" that's not a reason to not love them or not hang out with them. That's just another thing to love about them.

So, I do this every day and feel like I get nowhere and that everything I say goes in one ear and out the other. But I have been steadfast in my efforts to teach them to only see good.

Today Miriam jumped into my lap (literally) and grasped me tightly around the neck. I said, "Miriam, I love you. Do you love me?" She said, "Yes, mommy. I love you." I broke my grip around her and put my arms out as wide as I could and said, "I love you this much!" Miriam broke her grasp, put both of her hands on my face, and said, "Mom, I love all the things that are you."

I win :)