"Ohhhh...parents. They can simultaneously elevate your spirits with words of recognition and praise and subtly remind you of who you are to them when they publicly toss out terms like ‘Sweetie’".
Ahhh…so true. And I will shamelessly admit that I love being “Sweetie”…and “Hon”…and especially “Monkey”…and all the other enduring terms and nicknames my parents call me.
And I am so deeply affected by their praise and encouragement. I am greatly blessed to know who I am to them…I am their daughter and they love me. I am SWEETIE! I know this not only by the words they say to me, but by the kindness and affection they show me…even now when they are halfway around the world.
There is something incomparable to the effect that words and actions of parents have on their children, whether that effect is positive or negative. And the incident that I recently witnessed made me think of how sensitive children’s feelings are and how simple acts of kindness can shape them into confident and kind adults.
One fine Saturday morning a few weeks ago, I was able to pull myself from the comforts of my bed to go on a long run. I decided to head over to the track as I don’t really care for running long distances on the road. Cars tend to zoom by at lightning speeds kicking up dust and leaving a plume of diesel exhaust for me to choke on for the next mile. (I’m struggling to breathe as it is…the last thing I need is CO2 getting in the way of my much needed O2!)
Soon after I started my run, a few other people, including a dad and his two sons, began to show up to also partake in the spongy track surface. The two boys with their dad are probably around 11 and 9…my best guesstimate. They are all dressed in shiny basketball-type shorts, tee-shirts, running shoes, and ball caps. The two boys are almost the same height, but the older boy is stockier and more heavyset than his lean little brother. The older boy walked hesitantly behind his dad while the youngest boy, who has the energy that Red Bull has somehow magically reproduced in a can, darted and bounced up and down, back and forth…just being a kid!
So together, the three of them started jogging around the track and after about a 100 meters or so it was quite apparent that the younger boy was much more physically fit than his older brother. Big Brother’s stride was short, but his steps were quick as he tried to keep up with his dad and his little brother. After about a half lap around the track, he suddenly slowed to a walk, stopped for a breath and looked ahead at his companions as they continued on without him. After a few seconds, he began to walk again, then started to jog a bit, but this time his steps were slower, his stride still short, and he sort of just shuffled along.
By this time I have lapped all three of them so they were behind me and I didn’t actually see what transpired. But when I came back around the short end of the track and they were in my sight again, the dad was walking with his older son and the younger boy was in front of them further up the lane. Dad had his hand on his son’s back, patting him gently, nodding to him and then together they jogged a bit. When the boy needed to walk, Dad slowed to walk with him. Then they would jog a little, then walk together. Meanwhile, Little Brother would just run ahead, then turn around and run back, walk beside his dad and his big brother, then start the pattern all over again. He did not seem the least bit put out that he had to adjust his regiment to meet the pace of his older brother.
What a kind gesture, I thought. I don’t know what Dad’s objectives were or his motivations for being at the track that morning, and I played through numerous other choices he could have made…1) Dad could have chosen to just run ahead with Little Brother, 2) Dad and sons could have run at their individual paces and then gathered together when they were done, or 3) Big Brother could have sat down in the grass or played with a football until Dad was done with his run. Whatever his objectives were, Dad chose not to leave his son alone, and I believe in that moment his choice was the most kind and, perhaps, what was most needed.
And who knows…maybe if Dad's choice would have been different than what it was, the result would not have negatively affected Big Brother.
But I am most certain that Dad’s simple act of kindness affected his son very positively.
I imagine in that moment that Big Brother was tenderly reminded of who he was to his father.
Oh I love this! I support all loving dad's in the whole world, you are so important to your children. Why can't some of you see this?
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