Teaching moments.

I love being a mom (yes, my two year old no longer calls me 'mommy', I'm officially 'mom'). It gives me the opportunity to teach my son about everything I can. I love finding the little teaching moments throughout the day and explaining things to Nathaniel. I love watching the look on his face when I point out something new to him.

Sure, he's two and he doesn't always "get" it, but I know that if I continue to use these teaching moments throughout his life he will remember that mom and daddy (yeah, Sam is still 'daddy', go figure) took the time to explain new concepts to him.

Last night Nathaniel turned on the t.v. and the Democratic National Convention was on (it was on half of our channels...). It was just starting and Stevie Wonder was performing. I left it on for a minute and I sat down with Nathaniel and pointed out that Stevie Wonder couldn't see, but even though he couldn't see he was still able to play the piano and perform in front of thousands of people. I used that moment to tell Nathaniel that no matter what comes up against him in life, he can't use that as an excuse to not do something (of course, I simplified it). Then later, we watched Barack Obama's speech (I figured I couldn't pass up a historical moment like that, poor Nathaniel, it was long). I pointed out that Barack Obama was running for President and that this was a big deal. I didn't explain why it was a big deal (how do you explain race to a two year old? He doesn't see the difference between people, and I'm going to keep it that way as long as possible) but it was cool for Nathaniel to point to the screen and say, "President!".

All of that to say, I love teaching my kid. I love that there are so many opportunities throughout the day to point out things to my kid. Teaching him how to cross the street; how to count and read; how to pray and how to treat others. I can only hope that I'm teaching him well.

On another brief note: Election season is upon us! Sam and I are still undecided about who to vote for so expect various blogs about candidates and where they stand. It's kind of our way of processing. I'm excited. I'm not usually political, but I love researching where the candidates stand on certain issues and figuring out if they actually have a plan or if they are all rhetoric (think universal health care. Sounds great, but how the heck are they going to implement it and not have everything all go to pot?). Stay tuned!