Chasing Pigeons or Toddler Life Lessons

Smile like you mean it

Although I am more than grateful to have older children and be past the early, exhausting stages of parenting, spending time with my toddler niece and nephew reminded me of the fun of little kids. Adults could take a lesson from living in the moment from two year olds. The extreme joy and despair amazes me. The emotional range from sobbing with sorrow and anger over not being able to sit on your mother's lap that exact instant to shrieks of "train, train" at the sight of the subway coming into the station make for exciting living. Of course, some people still have tantrums when they should be able to control themselves, but part of me admires the woman pitching a fit at the customer service counter -- why not let it out? And, we all could use more joy in our lives.

Here are the toddler rules of life:

Chase the pigeons

Pepe was so obsessed with chasing pigeons that we would say, "Pepe, pigeons this way" to get him to move in the direction we wanted him to go.

Climb a tree

Ride your cousin like a horse

Walk slowly

Little kids can take a half hour to walk a block because they stop to examine every flower, crack, sign, passer-by, etc. Look around; don't miss the life surrounding you.

Eat treats

Just check out the ice-cream smeared faces from our trip to Stirling Castle to see how kids revel in treats. Plus, the British have the relaxing habit of mid-afternoon tea-time. As you can tell by Amy enjoying her tea, this ritual filled with snacks and treats makes adults as happy as toddlers!

Of course, having cute kids around to play with may be the best way to enjoy life! (especially when you can give them to their parents for diaper changes and bedtimes)