Kids are the Greatest Teachers

It has been my belief for many, many years that it is the children who teach the parent; the child who makes the adult want to be a better person. Each one of our children have made me who I am--so if you don't care for me, it is their fault.
Chrystal taught me to see the world in color and realize that a black and white world was not a world that made one have patience with the vast variety of people. She taught me about generosity and a lot about how to love. Dillon has been one of my greatest teachers simply because he was our first son and my first experience with such a phenomenon. He taught me of dedication and sticking to a job until it is completed even when one did not like the experience. He taught me that a person CAN do more than it seems physically and mentally possible when love is the driving force. Joshua teaches through his example of pacing--taking one step in front of the other and diligently going forward in a steady and even course to accomplish silent goals that one sets for oneself. And then there is Brandi.
It seems that all of Brandi's life she has been told to be more aggressive; to quit letting people step all over her. She is not loud. She does not have to be the star of the show. She does not push people around. These qualities can be said of all of the kids but for some reason Brandi is the one who gets the brunt of needing to stand up and be noticed more when more often than not, she is happy in her quite and peaceful world.
The lesson I learn from Brandi is that of being silent. Recently there was an incident concerning her next door neighbor friend that was quite disturbing. In my world, I felt that the friend was being quite rude and obnoxious. I begged Brandi to let me call her and straighten her out--even promising that I would be very kind and diplomatic. I felt that she was taking advantage of Brandi and, once again, that because Brandi is not one to make a loud fuss, she was ignoring what Brandi had already said, pushing her way through to get what she wanted from Brandi. It was quite frustrating for a couple days (for Brandi especially) but in the end, rather than making a big stink and telling her friend to buggar off, Brandi decided to let things flow and see how they ended up. Everyone else in the world just wanted to tell the friend off but instead, she was silent and tried to be a good friend. Of course, in the end, things worked out miraculously and the problem resolved itself very quickly--much quicker than anticipated.
The lesson learned was that silence saved the day. The scriptures say a few times to "be still" and Brandi is great at that. If Brandi (or even I) had been as blunt as we all wanted to be, Brandi would have probably lost a good, sometimes odd, friend over the incident. We may have felt superior for a few minutes for being able to tell someone off but in the end, no one would have been a better person for such an action.
This is not the first time that Brandi has taught me that patience and silence is better than the great American way of letting our voice be heard. Each of our kids are wonderful and some of the best examples I have in my life that inspire me to be a better person. They are caring and kind people who seem to make their world a better place for having been in it. I hope that their children will do as much for them as they have for me in keeping me on the straight and narrow.