Wisdom from a 9 year old

We grow up believing our parents are the smartest people in the world. That with age comes an immense smattering of knowledge. A couple of weeks ago I turned 37 and have yet to feel smattered. However, I have learned through the wisdom of my years (and the sprouting of several unseemly gray hairs) that the most important things I need to know in life, I have learned from my children.

My oldest child doles out wisdom on a daily basis. Without even trying, he says the wisest, most profound things. It amazes me. When he was just 3 years old, I remember the first truly wise thing he said... His little brother had just been born, and my head was spinning one day. I was so stressed out and just couldn't catch up. I'll never forget it. Oliver came up to me, tugged on my shirt tail and said in the sweetest angel voice, "Just be still mommy... like a statue." The depth of his little words made me do just that. I stopped dead in my tracks. Like a statue. And breathed. Wisdom from a 3 year old.

Just this past week, Oliver was working on a class project. He was preparing a biography on Martin Luther King Jr. Proudly, my husband and Oliver and I worked on his poster. We decorated a picture of Martin Luther King, glued words onto the poster that Oliver had chosen from magazines that best represented King and and his legacy. When it was all said and done, I asked Oliver how his board compared to his classmates. He looked at me strangely and said, "Well mommy, it's not like theirs. It's unique and different. And that makes it better." Indeed. Wisdom from a 9 year old.

I always worried that I would become a dumbed down version of myself when I quit my career to stay home with my children. I worried that I would stop learning and growing intellectually. I've never been more wrong in my life. Each day I learn something new about them. And more importantly, I learn from them every day.