Treasure

My toddler is a bright little boy.

I know this because people tell me it all the time.  I also know this because he challenges me.  He already argues with me, corrects me on my Spanish pronunciation, and informs me when I have incorrectly read a story that he has heard before.  He loves to count and read and learn new words and understand how things work. 

Yesterday, when I picked him up from daycare, he was building a train track out of blocks.  He wanted to count the blocks with me.  There were more than thirty, and ---though he got tripped up on 15 and 19 --- he easily spouted out the numbers.

Another mom was picking up her child, and she asked, "Do you work with him?  I can't believe he can do that."

I was a little embarrassed because I felt like I had been caught "showing off."  I wasn't, of course.  In fact, I hadn't even noticed her paying attention to us.  I was just trying to relate to my child after a long nine hours apart.  Still, to deflect attention, I almost said something along the lines of: "Oh - he struggles with the numbers sometimes . . .". 

But I caught myself.  My two year old is old enough to listen to me.  He hears what I am saying.  Even scarier, he understands a lot of it.  So - while downplaying his strengths may meet my need of demonstrating humility - what will he take from my comments?  How will they make him feel?

So, instead, I took a deep breath, turned the attention away from myself, and said, "He just really likes to count.  He's a smart little boy and a good learner."

It felt like vanity to say that --- like I was bragging on myself.  But I wasn't bragging about me.  I was recognizing one of the gifts God has given our son.  I was letting him hear me acknowledge his strengths and positive qualities.

I think that it is important for children to hear their parents speak proudly of them.  Too often when speaking in public, I make comments about my children as if they are simply extensions of me.  But they aren't just an extension of me!  Instead, they are wonderful, unique little people made in the image of God!  When the situation calls for it, I believe I should praise them as such, not downplay their accomplishments as if someone had praised me.  I know it is important to teach my children humility, but it is also important to teach them that they are good and equipped with special gifts from their Maker.  How will they ever learn to share their gifts if they don't recognize that they have them in the first place?

There are so many voices in the world that will seek to convince my children that they are less than adequate; I believe it is my job to teach them that they are a treasure, sought after in love and won at great price.