Parenting is hard work.
It takes a lot of effort to turn a little kid into a fully conscious, thoughtful and aware person. There are plenty of mistakes to be made along the way and although we usually only think of the big ones, sometimes the small ones are just as important. To be a good parent, it takes a lot of patience.
Sometimes it’s the little moments that end up meaning the most.
In a recent story, a father showed what it really means to be a patient dad.
A woman named Kalynne Marie was walking along with her son in a Target when she saw a father and his little boy in an aisle nearby. As with many of these stores, there was a big Slushee machine which the little boy couldn’t resist. The pair sat down at a table while the boy enjoyed his drink.
Unfortunately, he spilled the drink all over the place.
Before anything else, the boy looked up at his dad and apologized.
Instead of getting angry, the father assured his son that it was ok and that everyone made mistakes. As overheard by Marie, the father offered his son some words of wisdom:
“You’re going to be a human being for a long time, and you have such a smart brain that it’s important you learn how to be more aware of what you’re doing. So next time just be sure to pay more attention to your surroundings so accidents like this don’t happen. Accidents like these can be prevented, but it’s still okay if they happen. As long as you take responsibility for your mistakes, the clean up is a breeze. I know big messes seem overwhelming and you might feel like you can’t do it by yourself, but it’s always okay to ask for help. There is no problem with asking for help when you need it.’
Inside this story is an important lesson about what it means to be a parent.
Though it can be all too easy to reach for anger, the truth is that we all make mistakes and that life is full of these teaching moments if we open our eyes to them. Instead of teaching our children that impulsive anger is the right solution to a problem, we can instead show them compassion and understanding while teaching them a bigger lesson about life.
It was enough to inspire Marie to post a picture—and to think about parenting strategies for her own son.
Here is the original Facebook post:
To the hero dad in Target that day, keep up the good work!
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