I'll Always Love my "Thumbuddy's"
Last night, my 3 year old son gave my 2 year old daughter an intentionally sharp push so she fell down and came a half inch from cutting her head on the edge of a table. Within a nanosecond after making sure that Anica was okay, I instinctively grabbed Michael by the arm and raised my voice telling him that it was not right to push people.
If you’re a parent, I’m sure you can relate.
It all happened instantly, and I did not, nor did I have any intent on hurting Michael in any way. But Michael is a very sensitive and loving little boy and my quickness in this moment of discipline caused him to cry and bury his head into my chest. I held him, and whispered to him that I loved him, and asked him to say, “I’m sorry” to Anica.
The reason I mention this very common type of incident, is because it would have been so easy to skip the “I love you” part of the equation. Michael could have gone through his entire night feeling bad, and remembering that Daddy got mad at him.
This is just one of the many reasons why Thumbuddy books and music are so needed and invaluable. At the end of the day, no matter what happened, I get a chance to read the positive Thumbuddy stories or listen to Thumbuddy music with my children and remind them that they are Thumbuddy precious and special. And this process also acts as a jog to my own memory of my commitment to always love them, while reminding me of all our lovely times together.
As parents of young children, we need to set this solid foundation of love and make it so strong that the winds and changes of our children’s futures cannot shake it. “I’ll Always Love My Thumbuddy” – no matter what you do, no matter what you say, no matter what… It is a message that we cannot hear too often.
Tags: commitment, foundation of love, parents of young children, precious, special