At the suggestion of Stacy Julian, from her wonderful blog located at http://www.stacyjulian.com/, I put together my own list of things I've learned from being a parent. This ties to a project created by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, which you can treat yourself to right here: http://www.whoisamy.com/ -- go to her "small films" link, and select the film button with the yellow rubber duckies.
And please do watch her short film - it's lovely.
22 Things My Children Have Taught Me
1. How to teach kids to ride bikes
2. How to fix a dropped chain on said bikes
3. Holding two babies at once can be done
4. Feeding two babies at once requires dexterity and ingenuity
5. To trust my instincs about my child's health
6. Clean is great, but dirt on the floor proves we're playing in the yard
7. You can cook dinner, help with homework, feed the dogs and struggle to remember if you really did add money to the school lunch account, all at the same time
8. To listen with everything - my ears, my hands, my very skin - to really "hear" my kids
9. Bike helmets really DO prevent head injuries - but they do nothing for elbows, knees and shoulders - just ask my 12 year old
10. How to let my boys go - to daycare, to preschool, to school-school, to the 1st Homecoming Dance with the first girlfriend
11. How to be a teammate with my husband so we parent as a team and not as two visiting rivals
12. Caterpillars, earthworms, slugs and snails are to be "rescued", not overlooked or stepped on
13. Socks are only intact for about a month after purchase, because shoes are always apparently optional
14. Moo-ing can become a ridiculous funny family ritual
15. SpongeBob is actually NOT the crappiest show on television
16. 7-Up and saltines still soothe an upset stomach...or heart....or soul
17. Twins can reach higher than singletons because they see each other as ladders
18. Listen even when your ears ache from the constant input, because when kids know they can tell you anything, the payoff arrives when your "little one" is suddenly the 15 year old towering over you in the kitchen, telling you all the gory details of his day in high school - and you thank your lucky stars
19. Legos + Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars + wooden blocks = endless hours of play
20. Electric toy + batteries = interrupted play, while boy impatiently waits for parent to remember to buy/replace/locate the appropriate size batteries
21. Traveling as a family is just smarter, because otherwise you and your spouse spend the whole trip saying "Oh, I wish the kids were here to see/taste/smell/feel THAT!"
22. Life is better with my four boys in it
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