listen. if there is something i beg myself to do is to listen-more. i am too quick to speak. too quick to scold. too quick to correct. too quick to admonish. too quick to blame. too quick to judge. but i wane when it comes to listening. it is a slower process. listening. it requires more. to be present. not just be quiet, but be engaged. hearing what is being said.
i came across this transcript of a conversation with my oldest over lunch. it was dated.
i came across this transcript of a conversation with my oldest over lunch. it was dated.
9.25.09
me: what do you mean by 'pressure'?
him: like stress.
me: what about 'guilt'?
him: there is real guilt, survivor's guilt and potential guilt.
me: hmmmm...
him: yeah. potential guilt is like what george feels when he almost does something wrong.
me: hmmm....
him: survivor's guilt is like what robinson crusoe experienced.
this little lunchtime exchange that was quickly jotted down on a yellow legal pad and then haphazardly filed away to be unearthed 3 years later is physical evidence of my listening. rare.
and here is one more...
yesterday:
me: when was the last time you washed your hands?
him: o, i have washed my hands like...twice today.
{it was late in the day}
me: they smell bad.
him: they smell like angel's poop.
me: and what does that smell like?
him: hershey's kisses.
{this is the same child who when he was 6 said, "it is my instinct to poo in the wild."}
{this is the same child who when he was 6 said, "it is my instinct to poo in the wild."}
today. more listening. less of everything else.
xo,
gf
2 comments:
Angel poop. HaHaHa! Good listening, Mama.
My boys may never say "it is my instinct to poo in the wild", but they think it. I can tell.
more listening. Less of everything else. Got it.
[i adore this space you've created. xo]
Post a Comment