I was running the vacuum earlier, it was just about lunchtime, and lunch was ready before I finished. I called Zach and Maddie to get ready for lunch, and finished vacuuming. When I finished in the living room, I went into the kitchen and found that Maddie had put Emma into her highchair and was feeding her lunch. I thanked her for her kindness and thoughtfulness, and a conversation I had recently came to mind.
A woman observed my youngest four children playing, and the oldest 2 were watching the youngest 2. (I was having my teeth cleaned.) She said her children would never care for each other like mine, and how nice it was to see children get along so well. How sad! I wonder now how much sibling rivalry is caused by the parents. How many times have you heard parents comparing their children to each other? How many times do you see parents drop their children off at daycare so they can “get away from them” for a few hours, then wonder why their children grow into teens who don’t want to spend time with their parents? How often do you hear a parent yelling at a child for doing something the parent often does. Our children learn by example, and we are the ones providing the example – good or bad.
I don’t have it all figured out, and my children are not perfect. But I’d be willing to bet that one of the biggest reasons why my children truly get along so well and like each other so much is because WE like them so much. Yes, we have bad days, and I hear things come out of my mouth that I regret only a moment later, but my family is my treasure on earth. Maybe if more parents start to look at their children that way instead of viewing them as burdens we’ll see more children truly loving each other.