What could *I* do about the Future?

The future is all about children. Children slide under our stoic façades and show our hearts kindness, love, affection, and innocence. They refresh our souls. The future is best viewed with our inner child right alongside us. How else could we hope? How else could we dream? Where else would we get the excitement back into our world-weary souls?

I have three children. They can be messy, and exhausting, and they fight like siblings. But turn their attention to a problem to solve and give them the tools to solve it; or ask them to give you a hypothesis and they’ll conduct an experiment. The change is amazing. Their focus goes instantly from self to the wonder of what they’re doing.

The oldest asked us for siblings. He’s always loved being able to hold babies. At 8 years old, he sat on the park bench with another big brother. Together they lamented that those baby sisters grow up and don’t want to be held or snuggled anymore. Baby sisters also get bossy. But baby sisters always need big brothers to protect them. He knows this and he lives to be the big brother.

He’s been in chemo for almost a year. His baby sister almost lost him 4 times. She snuggles him again and he reads his library books to her at nap time. At nights in the hospital, you can hear the lullaby jingle every time a baby is born. From his bed, with all his tubes coming from his skull and chest, he still said, “aww Mom, someone had a baby. We should have another baby.” We knew we weren’t going to lose him, he has too much love to give. Hospitals need snugglers. Sometimes the mommy dies, or the parents can’t take care of the baby. He’s going to volunteer to do what he loves: hold the babies and let them know they’re loved. He’ll tell them all about Halo, Master Chief, and the Covenant. He’ll read stories so they recognize his voice. He’ll know their names and what they like. And that’s why their hearts will get strong and their brains will expand and their immune systems will kick in. He’s 8 years old and He’s going to touch lives that won’t ever remember him but will be better for having been near him. He wants to begin recycling for the neighborhood again. It’s good for him, and for all of us. So we’re going to do that together.

Lots of people wonder why I’d expose my child to loss and sadness. Lots of people wonder why we homeschool too. The truth is, I don’t expose them to sadness. I’m here to help them process it when it comes. I’m here to show them the hidden nooks and crannies of the world that need love poured into them. I’m here to raise my children so why not teach them how to live a full life that lets the beauty of their souls shine everywhere they go. I’m going to guide the growth of our future this year.

The Second Child is a scientist. He experiments with how much he can push someone's buttons. And how to push them very well. He loves to do his science kits. And he can tell you all the dinosaurs. His Gramma taught him that when he was two. For his third birthday, Dad took us to Dino Quest. Little dude greeted the Spinosaurus Aegypticus by name. Dad was so surprised. He has so many questions, it's easy to see how he can do big things. Even if I have to ask for a break sometimes. His real superpower is his heart. He can’t stand to see someone sad. As a toddler, he would hold and comfort unknown children when they cried. Now, if mommy cries, his stuffed teddy wants to hold her. His blankie needs to be held by mommy until she’s all better. He gives the best hugs and turns his powers of observation and questioning into a healing thing. He’s also an animal whisperer. The scared cat showed me, the first time, how deep his little heart is. Animals always know. Animals all feel safe with him. Even the wild ones…

We'll learn all the things he’s asking to learn. Maybe he’s the child who revolutionizes Cancer treatment and teaches everyone how to do it better. Maybe he does the most to inspire us to take care of the planet, for ourselves and our animal friends. Whatever he does, he’ll do it with passion and love. He wants to volunteer at the animal shelter this year. He has ideas on what the animals will like to do. So we’ll do that together. He’s 6 years old, and He’s going to make a lot of animals feel loved. He’s going to give a lot of adults hope that future generations will be involved. He gives me that hope.

Lots of people say ‘we’ll change the world’, but not all of us know where to start. The truth is this: Start where you are. Start doing what you love. I forget to do that. These kids remind me how. We’re all given gifts and passions and all we have to do is use them. I’m going to feed the passions of the next generation this year.

My youngest is a force of nature. She’s a tiny Mama Bear. She knows how to plant her feet and never flinch. She learned it easily because that’s who she is at heart. She’ll defend her family like a tiger. She’s already trying to learn discipline in physical health. She has an easier time being herself around animals than with people. She doesn’t let that stop her. Round and round she goes with every human interaction stretching her comfort zone, wearing herself out. She’s good at making people feel comfortable and she’s good at making beautiful things. If you’ve been hurt she’ll stand up for you, it doesn’t matter who you are. She’s decided that she’ll learn to read this month. She’ll do it too. She wants to go to Paris and dance in the ballet. I’ve never seen such focus in a four-year-old before. Her ballet teacher sees it too. How to teach a 4-year-old to channel passion into positive action is a tricky rope to walk on. But she’s so strong in nature that it has to be worked on. Maybe someday she’ll bring tears to our eyes with her performance. Maybe someday she’ll defend people in a courtroom. Whatever she does, I hope her spark survives and is what leads her through it. She wants to plant a garden this year. She has seed catalogs and has picked out her seeds. Her independence is what the world sorely needs now. Her courage to be independent is a powerful thing. So for now, I’ll feed her need for knowledge and her drive to be self-sufficient. We all need a little more of that in our lives. She’ll feed people from her garden and inspire people with her strength. These things I know will happen.

Lots of people say that children should be sheltered from responsibility. That it’s too much for them, they should just be kids. That somehow responsibility diminishes their innocence. The real truth is that if we’re doing what we love, the responsibilities aren’t so heavy. We all crave the responsibilities that come with making our lives what we want them to be. I'm here to give these children the resources they need. And a safe place to practice those responsibilities. I’m going to teach the future how to share the fruits of their independence this year.

The big picture is for our children to know their strengths. To use those strengths to take their ability to love and care out into the world, at every age, and into whatever they do. Few things I know, but this I do: Children are the future. Their hearts and minds are full of potential and to feed that potential is to unleash real magic.