Focusing on the positive

   My youngest son, Nathan, is the inspiration behind today's post. He is seven years old and quite the character. I like to say that Nathan has taught me to parent outside the box. Having two older children, I thought I had seen it all and figured out most things when it comes to parenting. Then Nathan came along and let it be known that he expected creative parenting by rejecting all "normal" parenting techniques we had perfected on the older two.

   All three of our kids have very different personalities. Zach is our oldest. He's fourteen and excels in school. He also excels in sports with football being his real passion. Caution is his middle name and he loves video games. He has quirky habits like saving everything, only sleeping on his dinosaur pillow cases that he got when he was five, and not letting his food touch.

   Emily is our only daughter and the middle child. She is into everything, easily distracted, and not afraid to be the first person to try something. She likes to sing, dance, and talk on the phone. She is always the first to help me when I ask and loves to ride with me when I run errands. She is strong, confident, messy, spontaneous, and has never met a stranger.

   Finally, the baby of the family. Nathan is probably the most even mix of my husband's personality and mine. He is strong like his daddy and his papaw, and loves to be outside. He likes to work in the garden and build things. He needs to know how everything works, even if it means taking his toys apart. He is creative and imaginative from the way he plays, the things he draws, and even his dreams. He splits his time between his own world and ours. He is determined and strong willed, but also my most loving and affectionate child. He loves to talk, climb trees, collect things, and my favorite...give me kisses. He is deep beyond his years, and amazes me with the things he thinks about. He is also very sensitive, deeply affected by other peoples actions, nervous in new situations, worries a lot, and tends to be very compulsive at times. He can thank me for those last qualities.  He  makes up his mind and sticks to it. He commits and there is no changing his mind. Telling the truth is optional, but his version is worth listening to for entertainment value! (We are working on it! lol!)
   This topic came to mind after a call from the principal of Nathans school.  Sometimes, those dominate character traits of his can be frowned upon. So after a nice little chat with the principal and a very compassionate yet firm talk with Nathan, I hung up the phone. Despite my irritation with him, I couldn't help but smile. All I could hear was his sweet little voice.
   I could focus on the traits in my kids that drive me crazy, and some of them do test my patience, but I choose to instead focus on the positive. I'm sure there are several things I do that irritate them as well. So, we will enjoy our quirky little habits and strong wills, and focus on the positive!