The Whole Child

Today my daughter was the smart kid who surprised me with how much she knows as we worked to sound out some words.

But first she was the whiny kid who cried (cried!) "Im tooooo tiiirreeeedd" when I suggested we do some work with letters. 

Today my daughter was an artist who drew a great picture of our family walk through the woods.

But then she became the sloppy (behavioral maybe even...) kid who scribbled all over her second sheet of paper.

Today my daughter was caring and helped her sister climb onto the swing. She was nurturing, showing her kindly how to put a toy together. She shared wonderfully even with a 2 year old who didn't quite understand the game.

But at other moments she was a bit harsh and grumpy. She grabbed a toy from her sisters hands. She yelled "I don't want to play thay way!" and stomped away.

Today my daughter was helpful. She jumped in when I was cleaning and did more than her share.

But later when I asked her to pick up her toys? Well ... you can guess ...

My kiddos humble me constantly - they are, perhaps, my greatest teachers. Today this girl reminded my teacher heart that my daughter isn't the only kid who can feel and therefore act about 8 different ways in one day. All my school kiddos also have different emotions - good days, bad days ... Even good moments, bad moments. By the age of 10 most of my 4th graders emotions are a little more subtle, yet they still need help and a bit of understanding love and grace in their weak moments. They need gentle redirecting. And in the good moments, they need praise!

Most of all, all my kiddos need me to see all of them. They need me to see the "bad" and help them process it. They need me to see the "good" and help them nurture it. They need me to not forget about or lose sight of one part of them when we're working through another part, and they need me to let them know it's okay to have both .... and that sometimes it's okay to take a break, and try better tomorrow.