Every week I take my daughter to My Gym – an instructor-led class to help kids with athletic coordination. For about 10 minutes toward the end of the class the kids play together without any parent or instructor involvement … and it’s 10 of the best minutes of my week. For one, I get to watch my two year-old daughter’s raw personality develop without me interfering. Secondly, and the point of this post, I scan the room and am amazed at how these kids have every one of us in the palms of their tiny hands.
If one performed a poll in a typical class, the results would probably show the entire spectrum of race, income, personality, career, and religion. For 10 minutes, none of that matters. Every parent is in a meditative state watching their kids, and the love on their faces lights up the zip code. We’re no longer accountants, lawyers, unemployed, rich, or high school dropouts … we’re all Mommy and Daddy. This might be the only 10 minutes of the week in which we are actually experiencing the present moment… and it’s awesome.
Ok, big deal … parents love their kids? Thanks Captain Obvious. Is this discovery novel enough to take time and write a post? Maybe not, but the point I take away from my time at My Gym is that no matter how someone treats me or acts throughout the week, I know they’d surrender their hostility to their kids during “separation time”. These 10 minutes remind me that most people are decent and loving, but they might have struggles that cause them to cut me off in traffic or walk through a doorway that I hold open for them without any appreciation or even eye contact. Those same people love their children like I love mine, but maybe they’ve had a bad day when they act poorly to me.
So, should we excuse and accept bad behavior? No, I’m not saying that. However, watching these parents every week reminds me of the caring nature we all possess, and it makes it a little easier for me when a waiter is rude or another passenger on my flight is obnoxiously loud. I visualize them sitting on the floor at My Gym, watching their toddler with awe.
