Mommy Mondays: Building Resilience

One of the most unexpected and amazing aspects of parenthood is watching entire life lessons unfold in your child's mundane, everyday activities.

For example, another child wants to play with the toy your child had first. Life lesson: sharing. Or your child doesn't like what you made for dinner. Life Lesson: you can't always get what you want (or, "This isn't a damn restaurant and you'll eat what I say you'll eat!"). Or maybe your child smacks you in the head and you smack them back (okay, okay, you give them a time out). Life lesson: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The life lesson Jack learned yesterday involved the world's most elaborate toy tower - consisting of stacking cups, Melissa and Doug puzzle pieces, and random tiny animals - and sadly, it's inevitable end. This is a story best told in pictures. Lucky for you, rather than help or comfort my child during this scene, I stood back and photographed it.

Much crying and wailing ensued. And of course at this point I actually did comfort the poor child, so you can simmer down, Grandmas. (I'd also like to point out his father dressed him yesterday...)

After Jack calmed down a little, I told him that everything was fine, that it had been a very splendid tower and I was quite proud of him. Then, after a big hug, we started building the tower anew. Because of all the attributes we hope for in our children - patience, honesty, integrity, confidence, kindness, etc. - some of the most important, in my humble opinion, are resilience, fortitude, and persistence. The world is going to knock us all down time and time again. It's our ability to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again that defines us.