My daughter gave me a flower today. She is six.
When she delivered the flower, I thanked her. Then noticing it wasn’t the typical dandelion and I suspected it came from my elderly neighbor’s yard.
After questioning my daughter and explaining to her that we don’t pick Mrs. Johnson’s flowers, I again thanked her for the beautiful flower.
She then encouraged me to wear it, behind my ear to be specific.
And you know what I did? I tucked that flower between the top of my ear and earpiece of my glasses. And then I continued cleaning up the porch in an attempt to beat the pending thunderstorm.
This certainly isn’t the first time my daughter has brought me a flower with a sense of pride on her face. In fact, she’s probably done it 10 dozen times in the last several years.
And you know what, I take the flower every time.
Yes there are times I am busy. There are times I am tired and annoyed. There are times that I just don’t want that dandelion but I take it anyway.
To the recipient that flower might be a weed, an ugly old dandelion, but to the child delivering it, that flower is a dozen roses.
If you’re a parent, you’ve likely been presented with a gift like this. It could be a flower, a small trinket or another item that doesn’t mean much to you.
The thing is receiving a gift from a child is like stopping to smell the roses. When a child presents you with a gift, look at their face. Take in their sense of pride at that messy painting, the Play-Doh ice cream cone (complete with the trail of Play-Doh across your floor) or that dandelion.
One of the greatest things about little kids is that they haven’t been jaded by the world. They still see everything through what us adults would say is rose-colored sunglasses.
And I don’t know about you but I love a child’s innocence.
I know there will be a time when my daughter will stop bringing me those flowers and there will be a time in the not so distant future when will I wish for these simpler days.
So for now, bring on the flowers my sweet child. I will take them all.
