Things I have learned from my child.

Being a parent for the last 2+ years has really taught me a lot on how to behave as an adult. I often find myself telling Nathaniel things and in turn, have incorporated them into my own life. Of course, some of these are silly and some of these are serious, but either way it is something we can all take to heart.

Use your words.
There are times Nathaniel is pointing and whining and I tell him to use his words. When I reflect on this I realize that there are times I expect people to know what I want/need and I get "whiny" when things don't go my way. I am still trying but have definitely begun to "use my words" more often. Especially in communicating with my hubby!

Don't just cry about it, tell him to stop it, that you don't like that.
This falls under the same category as use your words. Since Nathaniel has been under the care of a sitter this month he has been playing a lot with the same little boy. They usually get along great, but sometimes they both act their age and snatching of toys and hitting eventually happens. If I happen to be around for these things (as I come home or as I'm leaving), Nathaniel runs to me crying with a look of hurt and injustice in his eyes. Of course I give him a hug (he has to know that I'm in his corner) but I also tell him (if he's not the culprit, if he is the instigator I correct him and tell him we don't treat our friends that way) that when someone does something we don't like we need to say, "Please stop that, I don't like it when you do that." I realize that there have been times when I've let people treat me like crap and have ran off to Sam or someone else to complain, when really I just need to let those people know that the way they are treating me is not appreciated. Still working on this one.

Say your prayers.
We pray a lot in our house. It's not always deep, meaningful prayers, but since Nathaniel is learning how to pray he often demands that we pray. Since he is 2 he also has the need to pray for everything he sees, including the wall or his water or his blanket. While it's his way of being silly it has shown me that I need to always be thankful for the many blessings I have in my life. The fact that there is a roof over our heads (that we can afford to pay for), food and clean water to eat and drink and even the nice little extra comforts are things I often take for granted. I need to remember to always thank God for the blessings in my life.

Of course there are other things that I can't figure out how to incorporate into my life. Phrases such as:
We don't wipe our penis and then blow our nose...
Don't hit the kitty with the broom!
We don't pour milk over our heads.
Don't drink the bathwater!!
No jumping in the bathtub.
Don't run away from mommy.

But hey, at least I'm learning something from my kid!