When Life Happens

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” Elizabeth Stone

"Hi", he says jumping on one foot followed by a spin.  "Hi" he says again pumping his tiny arm up and down  <Jump> <Spin>  <Jump> <Spin> grinning wide eyed with pride at the older children he's trying to impress.   But, to two and three year olds who have already mastered the skill of jumping and twirling, Bebe Birds stomp jump goes unnoticed and is met with very little fan fare.  My heart aches.  I want to scream out "Wow!  That was rad! Simply amazing!  Do it again! Incredible! Would you look at that!  Best trick I've ever seen.  Kids, did you see that? Impressive right?. RIGHT?!?!" But I don't and Bebe Bird walks away, moving on to new playmates undaunted by the fact that big kids don't want to play with him. He walks away, less damaged then his mother, whose heart is still aching.

This past weekend I saw my cousin.  Her bebe bird is starting kindergarten this week.  She commented on how its not the academics or the fact that her lil bird is taking a few more steps further away from the nest and starting real school but it's the social aspect of it all that is keeping her up at night.  Its the social aspect that she is most worried about.  I hear the same thing from friends whose bebe birds are starting preschool or college-the fear of them learning, as we all have, that life isn't always easy.  That sometimes life isn't kind. And that life is full of challenging moments simultaneously mixed up with beautiful ones.

What I've learned, is that every parent wants the world to see their child through their eyes.  A parents eyes-where love and wonder encompass every cell of your being right down to your core.  We want the world to see how fun their children are, how kind they are, how unbelievable they are just for who they are.  Parents want the world to embrace their children's tricks and laugh out loud at all of their jokes.  To clap hysterically over their accomplishments and to pick them up when they fall down. Every parent wants the world to simply love their child.  But, the world doesn't always work out that way.  Sometimes life isn't easy.  Sometimes its downright hard.  And sometimes in those moments when they feel life isn't going their way we need to sit back with our hearts walking around outside of our body and be confident that we have given our bebe birds the tools to stand tall when life happens.  And to be confident that even if they feel no one in the world likes them they can still walk away liking themselves.