What My Kids Have Taught Me (Part 3): Express Yourself

While my children usually enjoy performing on stage, in person, their feelings are never hidden.  Their body language alone communicates their emotions.

Frustrated

Tickled

She's jealous that he caught a fish before she did and watches to make sure he doesn't do it again.

This flirtatious expression means "I love you".

Her serious look

Happy pride over losing a tooth

Our daughter likes to express herself through writing.  Last spring, she would set up a blanket in our backyard and write about what she observed. She insisted that writing about God's creation required that she be outside where she could experience the sun, breeze, grass, trees, etc.

Writing poetry in April 2010

Here is as sample of her "poetry" from April 2010.

WORLD

The sun is shining,
The breeze is blowing,
The grass is growing,
The flowers are blooming,
And that is the way it is.

Today while she was supposed to be doing her spelling assignment and cleaning her room, she wrote a poetic letter for her brother instead.  If she had implemented the grammar rules I have been teaching her this past year, I may have let her letter count as a school assignment, but alas, her spelling assignment is still incomplete.

Our 6 year old expresses her feelings toward her brother in a poetic letter

Translation:

 THE LOVING BOY

Oh! The loving boy, 

The loving boy

How sweet is he

From opening doors,

Ladies first,

To his feel so good hugs.

He may be messy.

He may be rude.

But never mind, 

He is as sweet as can be.

Loving boy, loving boy,

Did I ever tell you?

You are a teddy bear!

So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so hugable!

Loving boy, loving boy,

That is all I have to say.

Now I have to go, 
so Bye Bye!

The End

My daughter's voluntary free expression through writing has inspired me, though.  I began blogging many years ago as a way to keep distant family and friends updated on our family.  Now, however, my blog has become a wonderful form of therapy for me.  Putting my thoughts into written words has helped untangle my mind and bring peace to my spirit.  I'm so thankful for my 6 year old's example.

Our children have also taught me a more appropriate way to greet guests who come to our home.  When they know someone is coming, they will begin looking out the front windows with their noses pressed against the glass in anxious anticipation long before the guests' expected arrival time.  When guests arrive, they run to the door and out to greet them with wild yelps and lots of hugs and kisses.  Sometimes even strangers or servicemen receive this type of greeting.  From the moment guests arrive to the moment they leave, our kids are usually lavishing them with love and affection and possibly talking the guests' poor ears off.  No matter what type of meal I prepare or how diligently I clean the house before our company arrives, I suppose that the only thing our guests will notice and remember is the way our kids welcomed them.

Greet one another with a holy kiss.  (2 Corinthians 13:12)

It seems silly to consider adults greeting each other the way our children welcome guests.  However, I can't help but wonder how different the world would be if we regularly communicated our love to others through our body language, spoken words, and perhaps through writing poetic letters as my daughter does so regularly.   I tend to think the world would be a better place.