Listening to our children

This is something I recommend in general. For one thing, how will they learn to listen to us, if we do not listen to them. It shows the respect and consideration we expect them to show us. Now, that doesn't mean they should be able to interrupt any and every conversation. Still, there is something precious in taking the time and having a conversation with your child.

Have them tell you a story. Raine was "reading" me a story today that was quite entertaining. She already understands a good bit of the craft of storytelling, without even realizing it. Her heroes were knights, and they were fighting a family of bad dragons, first came the daddy dragon, which you could tell was the daddy because he had no eyelashes, and he had bad red eyes. The knights had to run away and find more knights. These knights finally defeated the bad daddy dragon, and then had to run under the mommy dragon, who tried to sit on them, but her butt missed. They finally got rid of her. Then there was a family of nice dragons, who had a nest. The nest was made of sticks and looked like a bowl made of sticks, or a dragon hat made of sticks. (pretty good metaphors, huh) The nest had an egg in it which was about to hatch. The story kind of petered out about then, but I really did enjoy it.

I know, I'm the typical proud mama, and what can I say? I really am. I know my kid isn't perfect, or always well behaved, but I enjoy her, and I hope that we can continue to raise a child that we actually want to have around us. I believe that part of showing we want to have them around us is to honor them and respect them enough to listen. I loved her story, and I'm really glad I took the time to listen to it.