How To Really Love a Child

Last night I was glancing through the Sonlight homeschooling forums. Someone had posed the question, "What to children really NEED?" The consensus was not stuff, but love and a purpose. Someone also posted this text which they said was off of a card. Thought it was a good reminder for myself and wanted to save it. What better way than to create a scrapbook page with it! As I said, it is a good reminder for me because sometimes I get so busy with LIFE that I forget to just play and spend time with my children.
Text reads:
How to Really Love a Child
Be there. Say yes as often as possible. Let them bang on pots and pans. If they’re crabby, put them in water. If they’re unlovable, love yourself. Realize how important it is to be a child. Take walks. Go to a movie theater in your pajamas. Read books out loud with joy. Invent pleasures together. Remember how really small they are. Giggle a lot. Surprise them. Say no when necessary. Teach feelings. Heal your own inner child. Learn about parenting. Hug trees together. Make loving safe. Bake a cake and eat it with no hands. Go find mastodons and kiss them. Plan to build a rocketship. Imagine yourself magic. Make lots of forts with blankets. Let your angel fly. Reveal your own dreams. Search out the positive. Keep the gleam in your eye. Mail letters to God. Encourage silly. Plant licorice in your garden. Open up.Stop yelling. Set sail in a wagon. Express your love. A lot . Speak kindly. Paint their tennis shoes. Handle with caring.
Children are Miraculous.

I added the phrases in bold because they describe the picture. I regularly take walks with my wagon-o-kids in tow. On this evening, my son was imagining that the wagon was a boat and spent most of our walk rowing with a stick.
I also changed the word elephants to mastodons because our city is currently doing a big mastodon art project and my children are obsessed with spotting them all over town.

This page was created using a special kit by Doris Castle that will be available for free at a special crop held May 21st at www.pagesoftheheart.net called Daisy Chic. It has some fun realistic looking elements and papers! One of the advantages of being on her design team is that I get to get my fingers on it early and play with it! Fun!!!