I love this comic strip because it is a constant reminder to me, as a parent and as an educator of small children, that just because the passage of time has enlightened or dulled me to things that truly hold value, when it comes to caring for a child's heart, it doesn't matter what I think.
If it is valuable to them, it is valuable to me.
I want my kiddos to feel valued. I want them to feel loved. So I work hard for them, I hold them accountable to what is good and right and true and try my best to teach them about life. I buy them the clothes they need, the food they eat, and make sure our house is warm and safe.
Which is good.
Sometimes, however, what they really need from me is to sit on the couch and talk about things that don't matter, that don't carry much value.
Sometimes what they need is for me to investigate and be awed by their simple creations that, in the scheme of life, mean very little and carry no value.
Sometimes what they want is for me to understand that just because I'm old and bald and they’re not doesn't mean their hurts and pains, passions and celebrations - their stuffed tigers - don't matter. Because they do. If only because it matters to them.
Because If I care about their little hearts and minds, I care about the things they consider valuable.
And the same applies to adults.
No matter our age, we want to know we are thought of, cared for, and supported. We want to know that we are known!
Like when Ross from Friends bought Phoebe her first ever bike.
Phoebe doesn’t care about the bike, necessarily, because if she really wanted one she could have purchased one (at this point in her life, anyway). What she really cares about and why it is the best present ever is because of the heart behind the purchasing of the bike. Ross cares for Phoebe so he hears her story, takes it to heart, and does something about it!
He cared about what she considered valuable not because it was, but because she is. And that, at the end of the day, is what really matters.
Recently, where this has been most convicting is that if I don’t care about the things that matter to people, if I don’t handle information about them that is deep and personal and of value in a way that cares for them and protects them, I can lose my relationships with them. If I abuse my position by NOT acting upon what I know, I lose my right to be a voice and be an influence in their life.
When I know something is of value I have a responsibility to handle it with care. If I don’t, it is easily perceived and interpreted as not caring for the person.
No matter how big or small, if it’s a value to them, it should be of value to me.
That is what has been on my mind lately.
Happy Friday!!!
#DOGREATTHINGS!!!
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