A Perspective On the Recent Onslaught of Pictures of Children Crying
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There is a lot of Internet buzz right featuring
the hilarity of children crying and the silly reasons that they are upset. I would be lying if at first I didn’t find
the whole concept quite funny. I mean here was something I could totally relate
to. However, the whole idea seemed to bother me on a level I
couldn’t quite define. The next morning when my own daughter was in a crying
puddle on the floor because she couldn’t wear her summer sandals out in the
snow, I wasn’t laughing, and taking her photograph to commemorate the fit was
not something I wanted to do.
I realized that the things our children cry
about might not be a big deal to us as adults, but when you’re three years old that
event is crucial to the moment they are living in. Children live 100 per cent in
the moment; it is one of the glorious things about being a child. This is a
skill that we seek to rediscover as adults.
This week, in the pursuit of learning from my children, I hope to concentrate more on appreciating each moment. We’ve all heard it
before, we only really have this second and it is gone as soon as it arrives.
So if I find myself feeling upset about something that’s really quite trivial,
I think I’ll take a breath to really feel that emotion instead of rushing
through to the next task at hand. Hopefully nobody will be around the corner to
take my photograph and post it on their blog.
I once took a toy away from my 4 year old son who was misbehaving and while I hid it (in the glove compartment of the car), he thought I had thrown it out. He threw a tantrum and I ignored him, but my husband who knew where I'd put the toy, chimed in with ,"I don't know what your problem is...you mom is too cheap to throw it out, she just put it away for awhile". My son's tears stopped on a dime and he actually had the nerve to say, "you mean I went through all that for nothing?"...I was really angry, but I had to laugh too...you are right, EVERYTHING is a big deal to a small child and as an adult we have to be very conscious of that fact and not hurt their feelings.
ReplyDeleteIt is known that children learn many things from their parents but what I find amazing is how you you learn from your children. Although I am coming to an end of my schooling education, this makes me realize how many more opportunities I will be able to learn from throughout my life. I can tell you are an amazing mother Jessica. Also, I have the biggest soft spot when I see a child crying! Great blog!
ReplyDeleteThis post reminds me of the Jimmy Kimmel youtube challenge where he told parents to tell their kids that they ate all of their halloween candy. Even Kimmel was surprised at the amount of tears. He was expecting more anger. I think kids have a hard time expressing everything that they feel and let's be honest, a good cry can just say everything without having to say anything.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQpbzQ6gzs
I was gonna say show you the same Jimmy Kimmel clip Jessica just posted. Children are very sensitive and sometimes it's crazy the things they can start crying about. Great topic Jessica, you have a wonderful blog.
ReplyDeleteYou never really know when a child is going to burst out into tears - isn't that the best part?! Jessica, I think you do a great job in showcasing the positive side of when a child does cry than oppose to complaining and vocalizing how frustrating it can be. I agree with Alessandra, it is very refreshing to see a mother learning from her childen(s) growth.
ReplyDeleteWe have so much to learn from children and the truth is that if somebody takes our picture while we are crying and posts it online to make fun of it, we could even suit them. Children should be the first ones to receive our respect. Thanks Jess for giving readers a wake up call.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really thought provoking post, Jessica. Like Kendra and Jessica DeMars, I immediately thought of Jimmy Kimmel's series of videos of kids crying. I think what was most memorable for me, however, was the few children who didn't cry and were able to sort of articulate how they were feeling with their words rather than emotions. It was unusual, but every child is different.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
I agree that there are a lot of memes and posts out there with images of children crying that are supposed to be funny. Taken out of context these images might be humourous but I agree with you that really there is nothing trivial about an upset child. Their feelings are as real as anyone else's and they should also be respected!
ReplyDeleteHow very true that they live in the moment; I suppose that's why it's okay to chuckle if they're crying over something as trivial as sandals in the snow; they're not crying about a research project due the next day!
ReplyDeleteYour kids sound adorable and it's pretty special to see how much they inspire you (and vice-versa)!
-J-