Helpful Toddler
I don’t know about you, but as a young mom we were truly taken care of by some friends that blessed us with the nicest hand-me-downs any child would ever desire. Once in a while we would need to supplement their wardrobe, but not too often. One shopping trip stands out in my mind, as we headed to the mall. With my six month old son, and my 2 year old daughter, we set out on a quest to get a couple long sleeve shirts and pants for the fall and winter seasons. With the little one in the stroller, and the 2 (going on 20) year-old in tow, we headed down the mall. My daughter had picked the perfect outfit that day, a skirt, coordinating top, matching socks, the perfect shoes, and bows holding her blond curls back. She looked adorable. As we headed down the mall, my daughter was enjoying ‘people watching’. She noticed everything and had a commentary on everything and questions as most two year-olds do. As we were following a lady, my daughter got very quiet. She then, in her amazingly loud voice said, “mom, should I tell that lady that her outfit does not match?” Several females in our vicinity turned to see if they were the object of this tiny tot’s question. Of course, as most innocent two year-old’s do, she kept asking if she could help the lady. In her little mind, she was doing the world a favor! Although I found this question endearing, insightful, slightly embarrassing, and hilarious all at the same time, I needed to make this a ‘learning moment’ for this amazingly smart tot with great taste. We stopped, and I got down on one knee to let her know that sometimes it’s hard to keep our mouth shut and allow others to express themselves as they see fit. Yes, there are times we need to speak up and help others, but other times where we don’t question when other people don’t match our idea of how things should be or be done. I think this can be a hard concept for anyone at any age to grasp, especially a beautiful two your old.
“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:2-3
My daughter continues to have a great sense of fashion, but more importantly, she has learned to love others, and spread God’s love in a gentle, humble, and generous way. The lesson she and I both learned that day, has continued to this day.
