I have a pretty awesome kid. Mister Man rocks my world, and he has since Day One. That isn’t to say that I don’t want to strangle him sometimes because he’s a kid. And he’s mine. And he’s bound to drive me batty simply by being who he is, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love and celebrate him whenever I can. He’s pretty cool, and he shows it all the time.
As I sit here typing this, he’s in the basement playing with Little Miss. He’s been flummoxed for years as to why she doesn’t like LEGOs, and he’s been frustrated by this, since he wants to be a LEGO Master Brick Builder when he grows up. He’s growing and maturing, and his social skills are improving (take that autism!) to the point that he finally asked Little Miss the right question. “Why don’t you like LEGOs?” and when she answered that she doesn’t like building them because they’re too confusing (an attitude I’m sure she has because he has such facility with them), he figured out to follow up with, “So do you not like playing with them either, or do you just not like building them?”
When she answered that she likes playing with them and it’s just the building that’s an issue, his face lit up. That’s why he’s down there now with an entire universe he’s created that doesn’t need building. He’s directing her on how it’s set up and finding ways to play with her. And they’re engaged and happy down there. I’m so proud of him for finding a way to include her in his favorite activity and figuring out how to ask her questions to get the answer he’s searching for rather than giving up after the first question.
Stanford Children’s Health celebrates extraordinary kids every day, too. In fact, they have an awesome (and I don’t use that term lightly – this time) way you can create a custom video showing your own child’s extraordinary traits. I made one for Mister Man, and I’ll admit that when I watched it the first time, I almost cried.
Your kid is extraordinary. Show them how much you enjoy every moment together by creating a special video of your own! It’s so easy to put together this personalized video that shares how your child is one-of-a-kind and shares your hopes and dreams and love of your child. It’s up to you whether to keep it private or share it in the gallery, and it takes just a few minutes to do.
I love the idea of celebrating the little moments and the things kids do every day. It’s what makes them who they are, and we love them even more for them. These are the things where I nudge Mister Man to me with a look and give him a high five, where I stop him in his science summer school class to congratulate him for sitting so quietly and politely to listen to someone else’s presentation about dinosaurs – one of his other favorite topics – and not interrupt once.
We’re lucky that we don’t (knock on wood) have to go visit doctors on a regular basis. I know too many who do. Those who are lucky enough to live in the Bay Area with children can heave a sigh of relief – whether they have major health issues or are a routine appointment only family – knowing that Stanford Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has been the top-ranked children’s hospital in Northern California for over a decade. And Stanford Children’s Health doctors can be reached within 10 miles of most homes in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
