Being a mom has taught me a lot of things and I have only been at it for four years. While some of the lessons have come from outside sources (YouTube is a saving grace) there are a lot of things I’ve learned right at home from JustaBXgirl. To celebrate her recently turning four I wanted to share four of the lessons she has taught me (out of many many more).
- Forgiveness – I have always been the queen of grudges. I can tell you why I’m mad at someone from 7 years ago as if the wrong was done yesterday. JustaBXgirl has taught me to let things go. She is so full of love that even when she’s angry at me she still asks me for a hug or a kiss. She can be angry or sad with one of her cousins and still insist that we get them a treat at the store. Every time I see her forgive it reminds me of how important forgiveness is not just to the other person but to ourselves. What’s that quote?
- Ask For What You Want – This child had a Christmas list with nealy 200 items on it! She is not afraid to ask for what she wants or needs. She’s also not afraid to say what she doesn’t want or need. And she is great at negotiating! Seriously, I find myself losing arguments not because I don’t have control but because she has a great sense of logic. The lesson here is that if you don’t ask you never know. I hope that she keeps this skill because if I had it at her age I might be ruling the world right now. I take notes and am more willing to ask for opportunities that I would have previously overlooked because I didn’t think I stood the chance. Now I know that the worst I can hear is no and there’s a good chance if I get a no I can still learn something.
- Stand Your Ground – Talk about stubborn! JustaBXgirl is a queen (completely bypassed the princess position and landed directly in her queendom) at being stubborn. While she is ever forgiving she has not learned how to admit she is wrong. She will apologize for hurting someone’s feelings, breaking a rule, dropping something, etc but can’t get behind that something she believes is incorrect. This child will argue with you about it being Tuesday on a Sunday and will make you wonder if you’re living the wrong day. We all need to learn how to stand for our beliefs and argue them down (intelligently). Now I must admit stubbornness is a trait she might have inherited from me (see above about the 7 year grudge). Even still she has taught me to find different ways to stand by my beliefs and opinions. She will explain her point (wrong or right) until you can really hear where she’s coming from. Even if you know it’s Sunday you will begin to wonder why it can’t be Tuesday.
- Magic Is Everywhere – Magic is everywhere and I am so happy that JustaBXgirl believes in it. She also creates her own magic which I completely love. Her imagination is alive and she goes on adventures daily (even when we don’t leave the house). She is the type of person that can see the magic in everything and has a gift of telling the story behind what she sees. We can walk by a leaf on the ground and she will ask a million questions (which I do my best to answer). Later she will bring up the leaf using the information I supplied to tell me stories about it. Or she will come running over to my desk in a panic because Elsa misplaced her freezing powers and JustaBXgirl is worried that Poppy the troll might find them and accidentally freeze her friends. The limit to her imagination is currently limitless and she has helped me tap into my imagination. I’ve never been good at pretend but since I’ve had JustaBXgirl I can find the magic in most things. It is another blessing and gift she has shared with me.
