” Daddy, Daddy!!! came the terrified screams from the other room as our 2 year old toddler experienced one of her first thunderstorms.
She continued shrieking and clutching us tightly even as she was snuggled up between both of us in bed. With a tear stained face, she kept hollering “It’s scary mommy” and even as we tried to get her to calm down between sobs and tears, she said “I’m sorry guys” (My heart simply broke at this point as she had nothing to be sorry about, but it has been one of the expressions she has been using lately)
But the entire episode of seeing our normally bubbly and confident 2 year old cowering in fear brought about some key lessons.
It is often easy for us as mums to sometimes start seeing our kids as much ‘bigger’ than they really are… We look on at them with a sense of regret as we say ‘oh they grow up so fast’. Then there are days when we look to our children for a sense of comfort from the world’s cares but as parents we can and should never forget that children will naturally need their parents to be there for them throughout ALL of their lives.
Essentially, seeing a child cower in fear is never a welcomed sign for it signals that they are experiencing something that is beyond their understanding or something that causes them pain (we sometimes forget that children know the difference between happiness and sadness, joy and pain etc)
And so this episode with the thunderstorm just reminded me of the many ways in which our children will continue to need us… They will need their parents to share in their joys, sorrows and pains
Children will continuously need encouragement when they are not at their best, appreciation when they excel, love on their good and bad days, a sense that you care all throughout and reassurance in times of uncertainty…and so while we spent the next couple of hours protecting our little miss from the boisterous and frightening thunderstorm, it left a lasting impression, a message I’ll hold forever- Parents will always be NEEDED by their children. Even when you are having your own bad days or you feel like your kids have ‘grown away’ from you, it certainly helps to remember that as the parent, the one who is expected to be wiser, smarter, dependable, the adviser, the doctor the friend, you are NEEDED.
You may not always feel like you embody all the ideal qualities, but know this, there is that little or big person out there who looks to YOU-In more ways than one. So even when you may be ignored by day when the weather is sunny and there are other more alluring things to explore, by night when the thunderstorms of life rages and that ‘little person’ needs someone to turn and talk to, to get support, comfort and reassurance, YOU WILL BE NEEDED!!!!
So be prepared always! Educate yourself as you see fit, seek the advice of positive role models to ensure that when the NEED arises, you will be ready to share the positives with that ‘little’ person in need.
