Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and our little family is celebrating it together. We aren't going anywhere or doing anything different aside from being home on a weekday. We aren't eating a special meal or dressing up. We will probably just hang out on the couch or sit on the floor and help the Little One learn to roll and sit up by himself.
The day will not be empty of meaning though. Today, like every day for the past five months, we are raising a person. So far, so good, I think. He certainly didn't come with an instruction manual and our records prove it. We make mistakes and have plenty of experiences to learn from. None of these goofs are things we are proud of, especially the ones that only required a little bit of common sense to avoid, like watching where we are walking and staying within the ballpark of his bedtime so that he gets enough rest. Sometimes we can see errors ourselves and sometimes we need each other's help getting a clue. In spite of these "uh-oh" moments, we keep moving forward.
When he is older we will spend these mid-January days talking about Dr. King and others who inspire us as much by their character as by any accomplishment they had. Like Christmas, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving and other holidays, we'll work to spread that message to the Little One throughout the year and not just on the official celebration date.
For now though, we thought we'd start with the basics- taking turns, waving "Hi," sharing a smile to brighten someone's day and using gentle touches to explore instead of pulling Mommy's hair. They are simple but important things for him to learn and for us to remember.
Sounds like a perfect day :)
ReplyDelete