Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

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April 14, 2015 by: Shell

Listen to the Why: Pour Your Heart Out

Isn’t it weird, the things you remember?

Maybe I remember this because I really hated being wrong.

Way back when I was in second grade, sometimes the way my mind worked would cause me to get things WRONG according to my teacher.

It was something so silly, completing a worksheet on Fact or Fiction.

The paper was divided into four squares, with a picture in each. We had to circle either “fact” or “fiction” to indicate if the picture could really happen.

I raced through the first three. So easy. Duh. Did kids say duh 30 years ago? 

But that fourth image…

It was a little girl holding onto a bunch of balloons and being carried up in the air.

And my second grade self thought hmmmm, well, I know that doesn’t usually happen.  Balloons aren’t going to pick you up and carry you away.

But, then, I thought about it more.

I thought about the concept of a hot air balloon.

And how if you had enough balloons and you were a little person….

Like if there were thousands of helium balloons and one teeny little girl…. couldn’t they technically lift her into the air?

Not an every day occurrence, for sure.

But, given the right circumstance… it could possibly happen, right? (It could be I was imagining the “Up” house years before the movie)

up

And so, I circled “Fact.”

And got the answer wrong, of course.

And was mortified.

Because I hated getting anything wrong and if my teacher would just listen to me, she’d see that maybe my answer wasn’t completely wrong.

I try to parent that way: to listen, to hear the why, to understand what my kids are thinking. To know that in many cases, there’s something more to what my boys are saying or doing than a simple true or false or right or wrong. There’s a why. And even if that why is one that needs correcting, it’s still worth listening to.

JOIN IN POUR YOUR HEART OUT

pour your heart out Click if you want to find out more about Pour Your Heart Out. Remember, it’s about what you want to pour out: it’s personal, so there isn’t an assigned topic. It’s also about being supportive of others who are sharing: so visit other linkers and be kind with your comments. Linking up? Please visit at least two of the linkers and show them some support in the form of a comment or a share!



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Comments

  1. Julia says

    April 15, 2015 at 7:56 am

    I completely agree you need to hear them out to see the why. There are so many gray areas in life, most things aren’t always black and white there is always a why.

  2. Kir says

    April 15, 2015 at 10:31 am

    This is truly one of the reasons I adore you so much, for your BELIEF in things.

    I promise to always listen to the WHY….<3

  3. Katie says

    April 15, 2015 at 2:48 pm

    I would think if you did have thousands of balloons and a teeny tiny little girl that would be possible. I would say that question really could go either way depending on how you thought about it. I like to think that a lot of things are not just black and white, especially when it comes to our kids. My daughter is in kindergarten and still has a little lisp. She replaces her S sounds with a “TH” sound. So when I went to check her homework and she spelled “something” like “thomething” I knew what she just trying to sound out the word like they encourage her to do in school. To her she was doing it the right even though it needed correcting.

  4. Teresa (embracing the spectrum) says

    April 15, 2015 at 10:59 pm

    Oh, I hate being wrong too. I was a very sensitive child! I still remember crying when I was corrected for not following directions on an assignment in the 3rd grade!

  5. SuzieQ says

    April 16, 2015 at 11:58 pm

    It’s kind of funny you write this, because I kind of experienced this tonight with my son, in terms of trying to understand him more. I think it’s important. I just need to remember to do it more and better. 🙂

  6. Emmy says

    April 21, 2015 at 2:28 pm

    You are so right, they often don’t think quite as we do, so in their minds it all makes sense. If we just really listen, we will understand them so much better. I hated getting questions wrong too in school 🙂

Welcome to Things I Can't Say: Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom. I'm Shell. Boy mom, beach girl, bookworm, ball games, baker, brand ambassador, Thinking yoga, food, and travel should start with "b," too. Finding the easiest way to do some things while overthinking so many others. Read More…

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