Little Mirrors, Little Wonders

It’s amazing what kids teach you. Each moment with them is precious. They want to be included in what the adults are doing.

To show they can do it too. To know that you are proud of them when they succeed. Because in their minds, “If mommy and daddy can do it, so can I.”

I’ve seen this so much in my niece. Her eyes say so much when she watches and observes everything around her.

When my nephew and I were hanging out, she wanted to be in the middle of everything so badly. She saw, or rather, perceived that what we were doing was important to us, so it should be important to her too.

Thinking back to that day and how annoyed I was, I still can’t forget the look in her eyes. There was this sense of wonder when she saw me working on my laptop going over a few things with her older brother.

For me, it’s kind of sad because at the moment, I didn’t recognize what was really happening.

I think too often we get so busy we miss these teachable moments. Moments that give us the opportunity to invest in a child’s life.

Kids are so much smarter than we realize.

I’ve seen it in all my nieces and nephews, and I’ve always sought to treat them as such. I don’t dumb things down for them, but rather, I explain what I’m saying. If they don’t understand right away, that’s okay. When the time comes, I’ll explain it again.

“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3

What makes this so interesting is that the etymology of the word ‘heritage’ is derived from the word, inherit. We inherit children from our Father as a gift and with this inheritance comes tremendous responsibility. They remember everything we say, see everything we do, taking it to heart with zeal and fervor.

Yet, while the responsibility is great, the reward is even greater.

Kids are tiny mirrors.

Growing to become a reflection of you. The result of this reflection depends entirely on you and on how you respond to them. It’s as beautiful as it is frightening. I say frightening, because of the tremendous responsibility that comes with them.

Every action, every decision we make, has a profound impact on their little minds.

Do we note what they feel is important? Or do we shut them down?

Do we share in their joys or shove them to the side because it doesn’t fit into our schedule?

When they come to us and say, “Look what I’ve done!” is the only response we offer “Go away” or “That’s nice”?

Because in their minds they will only hear, “Mommy or daddy doesn’t think what I like is important, so I shouldn’t bother with it.”

Worse, they might not feel important either.

So they give up and stop coming to share what they love, or because they might not feel loved themselves.

I remember when my niece wanted me to come with her to check the mail (she’s three). She wanted to do it for two reasons:

1) Because her daddy, my brother, and she would do it and it seemed important.

2) Because she wanted me to be part of what she felt was important.

Along the way she would take my hand and jump crying out, “Splash! Splash!” She kept insisting I do it with her and at first, I didn’t understand. But when I finally caught on, I was a little reluctant.

It felt so silly.

She was in her imagination, pretending that it was raining, and jumping in water puddles. She kept insisting that I jump with her. At first, I barely budged, but as we walked back to the house, I gave in and played along. The look on her face to see her uncle act the fool meant everything.

She was happy that I was taking part in something she felt was important.

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” - Ephesians 6:4

I shouldn’t exasperate, irritate, or frustrate her, but give her my time.

It teaches her that someone cares about her and what she’s doing. It’s also training for when she has kids one day. Because she will remember to make time for them, even in silly moments.

Bringing them up to know the Lord is more than just quoting bible verses and expecting it to ‘sink’ in.

It’s applying the practicality of it by investing in them as God has invested in us.

Since this teachable moment, I’ve become more purposeful at paying attention to her. Because she’s definitely watching my brother and I.

So, if I want to have a positive impact, then I need to be aware of those moments that matter to her. I think it’s something we owe to our kids if we are to help them grow up in this messed up world we live in.

There’s a saying…

“Teach a child in the way it should go and they will not wander far from the path.” - Proverbs 22:6

It’s incredibly true. If we don’t teach our kids. Someone else will.

They could potentially rob us of the inheritance God has entrusted to us, distorting the mirror of who our kids were meant to be, and into an image of something else entirely.

Even if they’re older, it’s never too late to start, but don’t feel like you’ve missed the boat. That’s exactly where the Enemy wants you to be. Thoughts like that keep you from hearing from our Father about how to handle a situation.

Simply ask, let him lead you and little by little, he will give you the vision. He’ll help polish that little mirror in your life and turn it into an amazing wonder.

There’s always hope.