"Listen"

by © rowan2352

Ok, so I'm having a heart to heart with my 4 year old daughter about "listening." I go through this huge talk on why it's important to listen and "pay attention" while a parent or teacher is talking and how her listening would really help mommy and daddy out. Towards the end she asks something in which I respond with a "Do you want me to be done with my conversation?" She goes on to tell me that she wants to talk to to me. I say fine, and this is where I'm floored. She says, "So...what privileges come from screaming? We aren't supposed to do that. Kicking, screaming, yelling, pushing someone down, that's not nice, we're not supposed to do those things." The conversation then goes on about what is nice, etc. What floored me was the way she was speaking. It was very much like a teacher to a student, in this case, I'm the student. I stopped her in the middle of "her" conversation to ask where she learned this (thinking it sounded very much like a lesson verbatim she recently had from school), and she said, "From you." I never cease to be amazed by her and her intellect. She is so bright and yet at the same time, very challenging. I'm left to think that those co-exist. Now, if only I can figure out how to handle and steer all the qualities that go hand in hand with those attributes. If I can succeed, her road in life will have endless possibilities.