teaching and learning

In just a day, my baby will turn 2 years old. I ask myself, what have I taught him so far? What has he learned from me? Have I been a good mother? Have I been the mother that he needs me to be? Have I spent enough quality time with him? Do I deserve to be his mother?

I think of these questions and I realize that ... though I may not be perfect (far from it actually) I have strived to be perfect for him. Though I may be lacking in patience, my patience has grown gargantually the past year. I've realized that what matters is that I am working hard to make a living for him, that I play with him when I have the energy to do so, that I know my limitations and will never again force myself to be be uppity up when I'm at ground zero, and that I make him feel loved whenever he's with me.

I've taught him that throwing a tantrum rarely works and that saying sorry via hugs and kisses are indeed effective unless the tantrum thrown was on a huge scale. Then it needs to be 100 kisses and 50 hugs. I've taught him that acceptance of mistake is important and saying "pish" is a must. I've taught him that doodling with a crayon is just as great as running around and wreaking havoc in our orderly house.

In return, I have learned that holding a grudge is really not necessary. I have learned that life is not all about work and that play is very important, if not more important, in life. I've learned to love people and accept them despite their mistakes and imperfections. I've learned not to judge and to shrug it off when I am judged. I've learned that patience is indeed a virtue when waiting for the masterpiece to be done. Lastly, I've learned that you will never know what love really is until you've held a child in your arms and realize that you will do and sacrifice everything for that child.

What have you learned in life?