A Lesson Learned From a Five Year Old

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About a month ago, I received an email from my sister-in-law about what occurred one day with my nephew at the park. I found it so inspirational that I wanted to share it with all you wonderful people. So without further ado...I'll let my sister-in-law share it in her own words.

A Lesson Learned From a Five Year Old

"Yesterday, we all went to a small pirate park. Evan {my brother} and Isabella {my niece} wandered off on their own and I stayed with Ethan {my nephew}, watching him as he played with other kids. After a while, the kids Ethan were playing with left so he went on looking for other kids to play with. He goes to one side of the pirate ship and there's this kid inside playing alone with a toy sword. When Ethan tries to go in, the kid tells him he can't. Ethan tries a couple of times from different spots (so do other kids) and I say to this kid that all kids can use any part of the park...but then I just step back.  So Ethan proceeds to ask him why. The kid says "because you're not part of the club". Immediately my mommy antennas go up. Ethan then says "well, can I be part of the club?" The kid says "no" Ethan then says "why not?" The kid says "because you don't have a sword". When Ethan turns to me, the words are already forming in my head and I'm ready to say "you're right Ethan, that kid doesn't own the park. Some kids are just not taught how to share (while staring hard at the kid) and don't know proper behavior and blah blah blah. Let's just go play together on the other side". Instead, he completely surprises me when he says "mami, I need a sword". Pretending I haven't been eavesdropping I say "what for?" Ethan says "so I can be part of the club" and he starts walking and looking around. While I follow behind him I say to him "it's ok Ethan, we can just do something else". My instinct is just trying to protect my child from not being accepted and I want to shield any bad feelings. But Ethan doesn't even look at me and says "come on mami, just help me find a sword". I take the first stick I see and hand it to him. He goes to the kid and presents his sword. The kid says it's not an acceptable sword and I just want to tell him my son is playing there or else! (the whole time I'm looking for this kid's parents!) So Ethan turns around and goes looking for another sword. This time he finds a thicker stick and brings it over to the kid that has monopolized the ship. And what do you know? voilà! Ethan found himself the perfect sword that got him into the club. They went on and played for a while until it was time for us to go home.

So, what did I learn from my five-year-old son? That we all (big and small) face rejection at some point of our lives, several times and in different forms. It's simply part of life. It could be friendship, love, work, school, health, etc. Most of the time it's not even personal. Just like Ethan, it wasn't about him, it was about not having the proper equipment. Once he solved that issue, he was in the club and having fun. Take a look at yourself, ask questions and act upon it. You may need to try, make some adjustments, and try again. Don't give up (but don't fall into the insanity thing either).  Oh and you have to do it on your own, you will always need a support system but ultimately it's you and only you."

Whether you're a parent or not, I think we can all relate to this story. It just so happened, it was taught by my five year old nephew....bless his sweet, amazing heart.

{{Thank you to my amazing sister-in-law for sharing this story...I love you with everything in me!}}

my adorable nephew with bell and zo zo :)