This Mother's Day, I'm reflecting on the treasures God has given us in the kids we know and love.
I have learned many life lessons from my 8-year-old granddaughter, Zoe—though she's unaware how often she's the teacher and I'm the student. One frigid day last winter, we lunched at Taco Bell where she ordered nachos.
To say she enjoyed them is an understatement. She reveled in them. She celebrated them. I wondered briefly if she was going to wallow in them. And in those few minutes, several weighty truths hit home:
Enjoy the present moment, no matter how simple.
Don't be afraid of expressing yourself.
Live big even when you're small.
The best things in life frequently cost less than $2.50.
A few days after this, I called some friends who were also grandparents and compiled some stories about what they've learned from their little teachers. I wasn't disappointed.
1. Value humble pleasures.
"Amelia was thrilled with the simple things on our shoestring-budget lifestyle ... like how Publix gives kids a free cookie and a balloon."
"Also, even though we don't have a pool like the one she has at home, she was so happy playing in the makeshift water feature I made out of an old garden hose by punching nail holes in it and capping off the end." (By: Catherine)
2. Trust your heart.
"I have learned to trust my heart a little more and look at the outside a lot less. My grandchildren have talked to people I would never talk to; and sure enough, we've discovered those same people have precious hearts even if their outside was a little rough."
"Children seem to have an innate discernment, but we teach them to look at the outside and strip that from them. Wisdom isn't head knowledge but heart knowledge." (By: Lainey)
3. Don't take yourself too seriously.
"Even before she could walk, my granddaughter Tonya found everything funny—including herself!"
"Tonya's humor has carried her through situations that would have devastated some people. And that has taught me to do the same." (By: Mary)
4. Cultivate a sense of wonder.
"When Heidi was 16 months old, we were watching the neighbor's cows on the hill. We looked away for a moment, and when we looked back, every cow was gone."
"'Where did they go?' Heidi asked. Thinking she was worried, I explained, 'Oh, just over the hill. She cocked her pretty head and said, 'I wonder why.'"
"Curiosity has enriched my life as I've thought, I wonder why, and then searched for answers. It has even brought me a deeper relationship with God." (By: Heidi)
5. Accept God's love.
"My granddaughter's behavior never affected how much I love her."
"I personally had an issue about accepting the deep love Jesus has for me, and I used to believe that I had to be perfect. Reflecting on my love for my granddaughter Kyla (age 15) opened the door to accepting God's love for me." (By: Angelica)
6. Give and receive.
"One time, my 10-year-old grandson Caiden was trying to pay for a milkshake for me. I told him I was treating him."
"He said, 'You told me God gave me a gift because I like to share and now you're not letting me use my gift!'"
"What could I say? So I let him buy me a milkshake!" (By: Cindi)
More (Funny) Words of Wisdom from Kids
Upon hearing from my friends and their grandkids' thoughts, I wondered what other words of wisdom they might share. So I went straight to the source.
How much do grandmas weigh? "400 pounds" —Noah (age 5)
What advice would you give adults? "They should give us more ice cream and they should all own four dogs." —Aiden (age 8)
How can you make others happy? "Go to their birthday parties and be nice to them. That's all I've got." —Lexie (age 6)
What's the best gift you can give others? "To a girl? A pony or bracelets!" —Noah (age 5)
What are men not very good at doing? "Eating healthy." —Aiden (age 8)
What's the best thing about grandparents? "They do fun stuff." —Kathryn (age 7)
Article courtesy of Mature Living magazine.