"They might not need me;but they might.
I'll let my head be just in sight;
A smile as small as mine might be
Precisely their necessity."
~Emily Dickinson
I'll let my head be just in sight;
A smile as small as mine might be
Precisely their necessity."
~Emily Dickinson
Yesterday Little Chick and I decided to move things around in our family room so we could organize her toys and books. I remember as a teacher changing things around in the classroom always sparked interest again in old toys and literature. We made it fun by singing the "Clean up, clean up" song and talking about where we should put things. The entire time I kept saying "What a great helper you are Little Chick!" I am a firm believer that you can never praise your children enough! She radiated a big smile and kept placing her books on the shelf. At times she yelled, "Mommy look, you remember this book!" She could not wait to finish organizing so she could start looking through some of her books. When we were done I gave her a huge hug and thanked her for helping me. She said, "I'm a good helper mommy!." I replied, "Your mommy's excellent little helper!"
I thought about this time we had spent together and how rewarding it was for my daughter to be a part of helping, sharing the work, and taking responsibility in picking up after herself, as well as, gaining praise for a job well done. The act of helping one another is a very important one. I then began thinking about society today and how much people go out of their way to help one another. As I mulled this over, two friends came to mind. The first friend I have known for fourteen years and she would do anything to help out in a heartbeat! The second friend I have gotten to know over the past two years. Her continual willingness to go out of her way to be helpful shows what an incredible individual she is (especially as a busy mom of three small children). I feel so blessed to have such amazing friends in my life.
In this busy world today how many people really go out of their way to be helpful? I have many nice friends that I am grateful for, but I am not sure how helpful they would be in a time of need. I hope that my actions and willingness to help others will inspire Little Chick to do the same.
In this busy world today how many people really go out of their way to be helpful? I have many nice friends that I am grateful for, but I am not sure how helpful they would be in a time of need. I hope that my actions and willingness to help others will inspire Little Chick to do the same.
Mama's Little Helper!
Come and join in Thanksgiving Thursday tomorrow! Just grab my Thanksgiving Thursday button in the left sidebar, write five things you are thankful for and let me know so I can add your link!
Such a positive post! Thanks! I needed to hear/read that. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Little Chick has such a great smile!
ReplyDeleteThat is so true. I want my kids to learn to help around too and I give them a lot of praise when they attempt to help me around with chores. I think singing songs to make chores fun is a cool idea. I love singing "whistle while you work" while working with my kids. :)
ReplyDeleteeverytime i see little chick's picture i feel like i want to kiss and hug her..she's sooo cute! i love this post! when my kids help out in house chores i can sense their happiness and willingness, too! =) just like you, i also hope that when they grow up they'll extend those helpful hands and hearts to others..
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head Mama Hen when you grouped "helping, sharing the work, and taking responsibility" together in the same breath. I often lament that I'm the "Little Red Hen" b/c when I say, "Who will help me...," my kids respond (not in so many words), "Not I." That is a monster I created by always doing things myself because I wanted them done MY way. Hats off to you and moms like you who are willing to accept and foster their little ones' need and desire to be helpful. Good job, Little Chick!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great helper and positive outlook
ReplyDeleteI'm also a beliver in praising kiddos...a lot. It encourages them even more and makes them feel produ of what they're doing.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you're teaching her good habits as they will stay with her forever.
She's such a cutie. =)
very very inspiring post.. such a cute little helper little chick is! And you are great mom!!
ReplyDeleteIt's not that often I come across people who parent like you do and it really brings a smile to MY face to hear that you do. I think you are making smart, loving choices in raising your child and she will certainly turn out to be a wonderful person because of it all.
ReplyDeleteI gave you a blog award today, because you are awesome :)
http://organicparenthood.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-first-blog-awards.html
You are such a great example to Little Chick! Oh, I love her tights in the first picture, soo cute!! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post...Love the outfit in the first pic.
ReplyDeleteYou have inspired me to go out and do 5 nice things for strangers today.
Lil Chick could not be any sweeter! Thanks for sharing and inspiring
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post, and what a gorgeous gal Little Chick is! x
ReplyDeleteYou are so right to acknowledge that being helpful is an amazing quality. I love being around people like that. I try to be that way as well. I always notice that the busiest people are the ones that help others - like the mom with lots of little kids volunteering at school and in church. Instead of complaining how busy they are, they just roll up their sleeves and do what needs to get done.
ReplyDelete*love* It's so true that kids need positive reinforcement that way. I don't think enough parents remember to do that nowadays.
ReplyDeleteHeck, I know I like some positive reinforcement now and then at my age too!
You're such a sweet mama! I love her little outfit in the first pic :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute photo of her helping you clean. And an important message in there, too - we can only teach children to be helpful by modeling it to them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I gave you an award! Come and get it: http://purple-hippie.blogspot.com/2010/07/black-and-white-wednesday-gazebo.html.
aww soooo cute!! love it when kids help. Zara loves helping me around the house. lovely pics!
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a fantastic job. And it shows with Little Chicks smile. Keep up the great work mama! You can never praise enough at this age!
ReplyDeleteYour creativity here is great! Helping her learn responsibility at such a young age, and reinforcing it so positively is a rare gift of beauty. Going out of one's way to be helpful is a rare quality, in my opinion. You're a fantastic example of this and I'm thankful to see it!
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to see her enthusiasm!!!! She's probably having more fun doing the chores than you do, lol
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful! I added your blog to my blog roll of inspirational blogs. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteBig Fat Mama
What a great blog! And that little cutie is just a doll
ReplyDeletere-arranging a room is a fun thing to do with our kids. thanks for reminding me. will do it real soon with my daughter.
ReplyDeletebtw, thanks for following me. i am now your new follower.
I know you've probably heard this a gazillion times, but I've just got to say:
ReplyDeleteYour little chick is some kind of wonderful!
Probably not surprising, since her Mama seems to be pretty awesome herself! ;)
I always told my kids that they were awesome at this and great at that. Positive x 10 over any negative...that was our school of thought. I think, even now that they're grown, they haven't forgotten it.
As for the helping out....I think it depends on the individual. You know what I mean? Some peoples' 'best' may or may not be as much as another person's, but it's their effort and heart that counts the most:)
Yes, I do agree that helpfulness has to be modeled in order to be learned. As parents our examples teach children how to behave. If they see us being helpful, they'll learn to do the same. If you model it, they'll learn how to do it on their own. Keep up the great example and Little Chick will be one inspiring woman herself!
ReplyDeleteI'll be doing Thanksgiving Thursday!
I love a small child's willingness to help with everything that a parent does. I tend to forget that its a great thing (OCD and its hard for me to let anyone help).
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work and your Little Chick will grow up to be an outstanding woman one day.
And by the way she is beautiful.
Thanks for following! I am now following you back~
ReplyDeletehttp://www.withourbest.com
- karissa
oh so true. I guess I never really thought about how moving things around and reorganizing can bring things out to the open that may have been forgotten about. Thanks for stopping by and following my blog. I appreciate it.
ReplyDeletehttp://luvsavingmoney.info
Helpful kids make parenting so much nicer. My daughter is into helping make dinner/setting the table. I think they do it all for the praise at this age and to be "big" like us.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to have gianna be my little helper! Little chick is such a cutie pie!
ReplyDelete