Today we took Henry to his first movie, which I'll talk about more tomorrow, but after the film as the three of us were driving home, Hank and I asked Henry which part he loved best- which parts made him happy. Without skipping a beat, Henry told us about the parts he didn't like- he mentioned the scariest scene of all, talked a bit about one part where two characters were fighting, and discussed how upset he was with one of the villains. We listened as he went on and on, and after he was finished we talked to him for a moment about yes, how great it is to recognize when we don't like something, but how important it also is to focus on the good parts of things and remember those.
Once we got home and put him down for a nap (after listing all of our most favorite parts of the movie!), I realized that I should be taking my own advice. Sometimes I get caught up focusing on tiny bits of negativity from this person or that person, worrying unnecessarily about situations I can't change, filling up my mental space with things that just aren't productive. And sure, recognizing what we don't like is absolutely worthwhile, but how about focusing on all of the good? How about setting our sights on all of the amazing things going on right now and taking stock of all of the happy bits that often go unnoticed?
It's still so funny how much this little boy teaches me. Before I became a Mom I always thought it would be my most important teaching role yet, but I've come to really understand that my role as a student is just as meaningful.
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