Parable of Knitted Hats

In one of the dance studios I work the year's theme for the end of the recital was“This is My World”. Each week we would explore basic movements from traditional dancing from varying countries around the world. I was given a prompting while watching general conference, a biannual broadcast of messages from the Prophet and apostles, I needed these children to form a connection a love to the other children around the world and the best way to do this was through a service project, I was prompted to have them do service for children from around the world. Being assured that this was the right thing to do for my classes, I started searching the internet for a program where children can serve other children from around the world. I was surprised to find there are no such programs, not that I have found anyway, the closest thing I have found is a program called, “Kid Knits” (kidknits.org). This program consists of buying yarn from a few different countries where women make homespun yarn to support themselves and their families. The children then take that yarn and knit a hat on a hat loom from this yarn, they can keep or donate the hats once completed. The second option is the way I went with my dancers. We donated them to refugee children coming here to Utah.

I bought a kit for each of the classes I was teaching, the Holy Spirit confirming to me the rightness of my choice to do this as I purchased them and then more powerfully when they arrived on my door step and I opened them up.  Now the trick was to find and follow through with a balance of maintaining that which we needed to get done in class as far as preparing for our recital with that of wanting them to complete the hats. I am a firm believer that children should learn hard work and the joy in doing their own work. Depending on their ages I would do more or less work for them while in class. With my littles I simply had them place their hands on mine for their fine motor skills were not up to the task at first yet near the end however even a couple of them could do it on their own.  Comparted to the oldest class where they were so excited and able I need only teach them how and they took off even bringing in their own yarn and looms to each make a hat instead of the one perclass I had planned on. The children would come early and work on the hats and we would take short few minute breaks from learning and practicing choreography to work on them, yet as the weeks past and the recital was coming upon us, I had to admit we were not going to make it. My other goal was to have the hats completed as well so they would receive the reward of completing something they worked hard on for someone else. I began to wrestle with myself on what goals I could compromise on. I also made it a matter of prayer: was it better I work on the hats to get them finished, have a less clean dance to perform or not finish the hat by the recital and I finish them later? It was while I was going through this I received an amazing spiritual experience through the Holy Spirit’s prompting and as evidence of God’s love for me and the children I was teaching.

Not too often do I receive words in my head, more likely feeling of peace and comfort when I come to the Lord in prayer with a decision. I was leaning to the option of  working on the hats a little here and their over the weekend to be sure they would be completed by the recital and and their dances would not suffer; however I was feeling guilty it would not  be all their work. Until I heard the following words in my head and heart accompanied by a powerful feeling of peace,

“You do the stitches you can and I do the rest!”

In this personal parable I was representing the part of our Savior, these children were us in our lives, doing their absolute best they could. They simply were unable to do all that was required, so they would fail unless I did the stitches they could not. In the very same way that our Savior does for us as we turn to Him, and His Atonement, will make up the difference in our mortal and sinful state, while here on earth. Knowing of my love for the children I was teaching and what I was asking of them and seeing their efforts and understanding their hearts. I can better see how and why the Atonement can work for us. How much more the Savior does for us, then I could ever even try to do for these children!

Veterans Dance

On Monday I teach a boys class for my lesson plan for the day was to watch the Toby Keith music video “American Soldier”. In hopes to inspire some feelings of gratitude for our country and those men and women that have served over the years to preserve our freedoms.  In this music video there are multiple soldiers and their families. In order for the boys that I teach to relate better to the situation I had them focus on the little boy sending his father off again to protect our freedoms. How it would feel for them to send out their own fathers; then translate those feelings into gratitude for those other boys across America sending out their fathers.  

These little boys did grasp what I was hoping they would and I could see flickers of those feelings in their movements. The next teacher asked if I could again show the older boy’s classes this music video. Repeating for the following two classes which progressively older in age. The added maturity with each class increased their understanding and ability to express themselves through movement.  I was very impressed by their gratitude. The appreciation that they expressed is their own. As teachers we reminded them of a few facts and they gave back ten fold. I think this is similar to being a parent in that your children and my Moment children have so much greatness in them to give back we just have to keep trying to unlock it. Not every lesson works out this way like I am sure it is when parenting yet, when it does the jem is priceless.

Thank you veterans and your families and know that there is at least a group of boys out there that have grasped some understanding of what it is you are doing for us and they showed it to me and a few others earlier this week, through a medium of dance.  

Doodle Tin - Usborne

In last week's post I talked about different items I have in my purse one were my ‘doodle cards’. I would recommend these to any Mommy or Moment Mommy. This tin contains 80 cards that have creative prompts, one on each side, to inspire a child to draw something. I have divided them into smaller groups and punching holes in one of the corner, placing a ring through the holes. This allows me to divide them among different children or  rotate through them, each week, and lightens the load. I also bought the fine tips white board markers so there is more variety of colors this also lightens the weight of what I need to carry.  A tip to save you some elbow grease whip the cards clean after the children are done otherwise it is very hard to clean them up.  

Most of the time the children that use them could care less about the prompts suggestions they just like to cover the fun pictures with their own scribbles, there are also those that get excited about the challenge the prompts suggest. So, it works for children of different developmental stages and temperaments. This allow a child to explore their own creativity and keeps them entertained for a while. All the children I have invited to draw on them enjoy and are entertain for some time.

Purposeful Purse Prevails

My purse is  more than holding my money, ID and any other personal needs that could arise, like headache medicine, fingernail clippers etc. It’s  purpose is to help me fulfill my goal of being a Moment Mommy. It’s good to have a few items in my purse so at a moments’ notice I can step into action. These items consist of  cute bandaids for both little girls and little boys (ex. Pixie Hollow fairies and Star Wars characters), finger puppets and last but not least my doodle cards and white board markers. The bandaids as I am sure you can guess are for those painful bumps and cuts as well as the imaginary ones that need a little loving, that only Queen Elsa or Lighting McQueen can do. The finger puppets and doodle cards are a quiet distraction of boredom, misbehavior or just to break the ice so the children and parent(s) know I am okay to share a few moments with them or their child. There are many examples of this. Over the last year or so that I have  started doing this.

Everything from attending my sister’s graduation I sat near a woman watching her husband graduate with their child. The child was good for most of it and then boredom struck and the child was done with the whole affair. I just so happen to be sitting close to her and handed her the finger puppets and this allow the child more quiet entertainment and also open the door to him to come and play with me. Another time in a meeting with other dance teachers the children were tired of their toys and the great length of our adults’ conversations. I was able to invite a few of the children to come and draw on my doodle cards with whiteboard markers. This also prolonged their entertainment in the situation. Yet, another example I was standing in a long line to return an item at a store and the woman behind me had two small children that had shopped till they resorted to tantrum throwing. I pulled out the doodle cards and markers and within moments all was quiet and mother and children were happy again.  There are several more examples of these tiny moments in which  I have been able to  help a child or a mother. These moments lift my spirits because I was able to help a child even in the smallest of ways.

This purse is also well known by my nephews. I feel there is a bit of a competition between our popularity with my nephews, between me and my purse. I am proud to say I come out on top almost every time. They love looking through it to play with my finger puppets or doodle cards, that I change to provide variety for them. I have two old apple products with fun children’s apps on each, which they fondly called “Blue Phone” and “Black Phone” (the colors of their cases). These are not always in there as I like to encourage other sources of entertainment for them as a priority as well as keeping them all charged and ready to go is quite a trick. Unless I am planning ahead of time.  

My purse is a bit on the heavier side because of some of these items but not enough for me to bother with or think that I am crazy. Quite the opposite with these items in my purse it helps me be on the lookout for children or mothers that could use a smile or a moment of friendship.  

Neighbor's Love

I use to have some neighbors, in which I taught most of their daughter’s either as a teacher or as a sub. They were the sweetest girls and a great treasure to me to have had them so close to me. I thought I understood how much I appreciated them, yet now however I see that I didn’t know the value of the treasure I had. Not too long ago their family moved away.

Whenever I came home and they were out on their front lawn, they would always come and talk with me show me what they were doing, tell me about their day and so on. It got to the point that as I pulled into my neighborhood I found myself hoping they would be out playing so I could hear all about whatever it was they wanted to tell me.  On the occasional day the youngest girl of about 4 years would even take to watching for me to pull up and come running out to talk with me. I would always invite them to come and play with me and my toys, for as a dance teacher there are plenty of toys to be had. However the logistics never worked out, as they were moving I heard from their Mom that the youngest would always ask to come and play if she saw my car parked out front. As it is so typical with life the timing was always off and this did not take place.

These short moments are past now, yet I have the pleasant memories of these interactions. I am grateful for them for in these moments they allowed me into their lives and I could love them.

Chapter Two - Something New

Over these past months I have been engaged in an internal debate, about the actions I want to take in regards to this blog. I have decided I am going to make some changes, I hope these changes are helpful to you all. I attended BYU Education Week (this is a week of 12 hour days that you can learn from hundreds of different topics) this year like I do almost every year. One of the questions I was seeking an answer to was this blog. I did gain more knowledge in this area that has overwhelmed me a bit, yet by the end of the week I was determined to try again and keep moving forward. The conclusion I have come up with is more variety in posts as a starting point I have also added different visual things that I personally enjoy.

The majority will still be Mommy Moments. In addition I will have posts about me, this is hard for me to do I much rather talk about children in my life. I hope however that you will be able to understand me as a person better and not just someone that tells stories. This being said I hope you can find me in my Mommy Moments because for me the children in my life are a large part of it.

Another type of posts I’ll be adding to this blog are ‘Useful Tools’, this will include things that help children warm up to me, teach them something, or that the children in my life just love. So weather you are a mother, or a Moment Mommy these posts could be helpful to you!

I look forward to this new chapter in my Moment Mommy Blog the above and others will start up again and be available once a week.

Stages

In my many child development classes we have talk about and learned of the stages of development. Though I no longer have the details memorized I am aware of these stages still and I love watching the children around me go through them. In my brother’s family I have watched their first son go through many of these stages and followed by his two younger brothers. Even though these stages are basically the same for each child I am more fully understanding that each child goes through them and finds joy. Joy to be had from each and every child entering and succeed in these stages.

My youngest nephew is an expert crawler now and  you can see such pride in his eyes now that he has the mobility to keep up with his older brothers to some degree. They run into a room and off he goes crawling as fast as he can to follow by the time he gets there he is so pleased with himself that he does not even care that his brothers have already moved on and out of the room or area.

Watching him do this over the last while has gotten me thinking more about the stages, we all go through. Sometimes as adults we take it for granted and just expect it of them I noticed myself doing this. Instead we as adults should find joy also in each child that reaches these stages for the first time, because after all it is their first time!