Learning reversed

Sometimes I don't realize how much I learn from Amalea and Maya. As a parent I focus so much on teaching them.

With Amalea it's teaching her letters and numbers, how to play fairly and share, how to use her words instead of have tantrums, how to be creative and explore the world around her, how to love books and reading :-)
With Maya it's teaching her how to sit up, how to lift her head when on her stomach, how to grasp her toys and play with them, how to soothe herself when upset.

But...the learning goes so much deeper than that. In ways I don't even realize my daughters are teaching me every day. These are some of the things I learn from them:

• To play. I get so stressed about life and things that are not important. They drag me away from the worries and help me see the joy of playing.
• To sing and dance. Amalea loves to do these two things. It is so freeing to dance and sing and be silly. I feel a weight lifted every time I do.
• To run. We have a long hallway and Amalea loves running up and down it...running with her while holding Maya makes me laugh every time.
• To smile. Maya's smile has a way of melting me no matter what. I have learned just how powerful a smile can be.
• To cuddle. The warmth of holding my girls in my arms makes me so happy and reminds me to enjoy the moment.
  

There are so many more things I have learned, but in the end what it comes down to is that my daughters have taught me to live freely, to enjoy the moment, to relax a little and to have fun.