Lessons from jumping rope

Learning life lessons from our children is one of the blessings of parenthood - but you need to be paying attention to get the message. I wanted to share one here. For Christmas our little lady got a jump rope in her stocking which she used as a belt or tied it to things to pull around. A few weeks ago she decided to use it for its intention - jumping.

Day after day after day she practiced. We watched give it her all as she hook it around her ponytail, her neck, her legs, kitchen chairs, toys, the dogs or whatever was in her way as she tried to jump the rope. We would cheer her on, but at times it was painful to watch her lack of progress, knowing how hard she was working. However one day as I was REALLY paying attention to what she was doing, I noticed how happy she was to just be trying. A smile of pure joy was on her face and she was having FUN. Yep, she was having fun as she tried. I know this isn't a new concept - but sometimes I need a reminder and If I wasn't paying attention I would have missed it - the lesson - it's not about conquering something new, it's about remembering to enjoy the whole process, stumbling and all.