Today my husband left to go back to NY early due to impending bad weather. I had a long list of things to keep me busy until we would watch the Pats game together tonight by texting. I went to the store. Did the usual cleaning and laundry, and then just didn’t want to do any of the other things on my list. I tried to read a number of things. That didn’t work either. There was a little fire left in the fireplace so I put on a Xmas candle, made some coffee, and decided to hunt for a movie.
I went through the list of movies three times but kept being drawn to “The Odd Life Of Timothy Green.” I settled in and was soon immersed in the life of a little boy with leaves on his legs that became the son of a childless couple. The leaves should’ve been a clue right from the beginning, but not until he started to lose them one at a time, did I finally get what was happening here.
The credits rolled and so did my tears. This movie was about the gift of children. They are given to us for a short time, but they are not ours to keep. Whether we “lose” them at 18 when we send them off to college, or we lose them at 6 to a terrible tragedy, we are only given so much time with them. In that time we are supposed to teach them about life and how to navigate it. The Odd Life Of Timothy Green debunks that theory. Instead of us not having enough time to teach them everything we know, the reality is we don’t have enough time to learn everything they have to teach us.
The father of Emily, who was taken in the tragedy on Friday, said he learned so much from his daughter in her young life. Children are honest and uninhibited. They will call you out every time you try to slide something by them, and many times we don’t appreciate this. Many times we don’t even listen to them. We sit in our adultness and dole out wisdom until they stop listening to us.
I had a “no interrupt” rule in my classroom that was strictly enforced. The children were instructed to come stand silently by my side if I was engaged in a conversation with anyone – child or adult. I assured them I’d know they were there. They were not allowed to tap me or pull at my clothing. They learned that waiting politely eventually got my full attention. When a child was speaking to me, I wanted them to know they were the most important person in the world at that moment. Many times, in those small moments, I learned more than college ever taught me. I am a better person today because of what I learned from five year olds, as well as my own children.
The Timothy movie was totally appropriate today to aid in the processing of the weekend’s events, instead of watching more of it in the news. Young Timothy reminds us that we “only have so much time”. We must be very vigilant is how we use it – especially with our children.
And so, as another day goes by, listen to the children that grace your life – and you might be surprised at what you learn, and …I have written.
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