Photo courtesy of Kristin's facebook page :) She is the 2nd from the left. Surrounded by her sisters!
Many of you will be tempted to skip this post because it will look long and boring, but bear with me.
Last night I was at a GNO (Girl's night out) and it was a blast! (So, 1st Life Lesson, spend some time with great friends and good times to lift burdens and forget about unimportant things for a few hours)
While at my friend's house, her little boy was coming up to us and giggling and talking and being absolutely adorable...it's not hard, he is a doll (plus, he reminds me of a boy version of livi:) Anyway, whenever he came by, I made sure to acknowledge him and talk with him. Did I mention he is a doll? He is.
Later, my friend said," thank you so much for acknowledging him and making him feel special. I really appreciate that." And this is where I went on to explain WHY I am like that.
Photo courtesy of Kristin's facebook page. Kristin is in the middle.
Several years ago my dear friend, Kristin, showed me (by example) how ALL children should be treated, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE NOT YOUR OWN! Whoa! What a concept. (add a bit of sarcasm here) It's not rocket science. I noticed that when she acknowledge not only her children, but my children also, things changed. Nothing too big, but I noticed that because she loved my children, I loved HER even more. I respected her even more than I had before (pre-kids).
I really feel that if you show love towards other peoples' children, then your relationship/friendship with the parent will grow and become even better. If you ignore their children, even without noticing it, or sort of 'shove' them off..you aren't doing your friendship any favors.
And even more importantly, how do you think those kids feel? Do you want to be the one responsible for making them feel bad and down? Every child deserves respect and acknowledgement. (Yes, I am speaking from experience...through my own children's eyes.)
So, life lesson #2: Treat not only your friends, BUT their CHILDREN with respect and love and your friendship will become that much stronger. It did with me. Kristin is one of my very best friends. Not only because she is funny, kind, a mean card player, confidante, and a great person all around, but because she also loved MY kids.
*Just a note: I am not perfect. Fact. Sometimes I am in a bit of a fog. So, if I don't acknowledge you or your kids...forgiveness is the best thing to do! ;) Sometimes it's hard for me to pay attention to my own! hehe!
5 comments:
Thanks for this! Your kids are not hard to love. Sunday, I was in the hall between classes outside of the Primary room. Livi was waiting with her class too. She started talking with me about loose teeth, your upcoming cruise and baptism. Cute, yes, but what made my day was that she grabbed my hand and held it while she was talking to me. Kids are so ready to connect with us if we let them.
Love this post Katie!
you are such a good example of this to me - you always give my kids attention, especially Madeleine who can't seem to get enough attention these days. thanks!
Great post, Katie! I totally agree! And I'm not even a mother, so I'm sure it will mean even more someday. It is something I learned on my mission, and has proven itself time and time again!
This post is just what I needed to read today. I started teaching the sunbeams in our ward yesterday and I was just thinking of how I can love them and help them learn the gospel. Kids are people too and are so important, especially to our Heavenly Father. We need to pay more attention to them!! Thanks for sharing your life lessons!
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