Each day after we drop her off we swing over to the local thrift store to look for books and treasures. We almost always walk out of there with a box of books. Him and I usually stroll through there while I hold his hand up and down the flights of stairs between all the levels of the store. Today as we are walking through I feel a tug and a slow down by him. I knew he couldn't have dropped anything for he had brought nothing in with him. As I turn around to look I see him bent over picking up a penny. Something about that penny was fascinating to him. This event provoked my mind into trying to understand, from a fathers perspective what motivated or inspired him to pick up that penny and keep it. That penny had value to him in some capacity. He did not let go of it either. He was trying to put it in his pocket but I think my sense of urgency caused him to settle for a tight fisted clench. I have a bad habit of always being in a hurry even when it's not necessary.
As we wrapped up our trip to town and headed home I started to really disect this whole penny incident. He had fallen asleep on the way home and still had that penny clutched tightly in his tiny little fist even in slumber. All I could think was "I hope it was the glistening of the copper that was fascinating to him and not because he perceived value in that penny above other things." Kids are smarter than we give them credit for. They see and observe most everything from the smallest routines such as how we put our shoes on to how we react when they drop and break one of the dishes. If we put on our right shoe first they will grow up thinking that's how you are supposed to put your shoes on. If we get upset over a broken dish they will grow up believing dishes are as important or maybe even more important than the feelings of the individual who broke said dish. Wether you are a parent, relative, daycare provider, teacher, coach or anyone who has regular contact wth children you are at the very least a role model and quite possibly even a hero to those kids.
This way of thinking led me to fear that Noah had already started to see the importance money has taken in our society and worse yet in his own environment. He sees that we use these shiny things to make purchases, often times for stuff he finds fun like food, candy or juice. He sees when I keep all of my pocket change in a safe place of its own, away from all of the other crap in our home. It was as good as a reminder to me as any that he is always paying attention and a greater reminder that I need to be more aware of his little eyes and ears and what they take in. It also prompted me to remind others, that your kids or the kids you come in contact with are always paying attention. Take the time to take notice of who or what your kids are watching. It's probably you they are watching and it's probably you they want to be just like! Unless of course it's the god forsaken television that will swallow anyone's attention and often times their creativity too. But seriously, kids are always putting us on pedostols It's a powerful thought. And a humbling one.
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