Mother Teresa is quoted as saying, “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” I blogged about faces yesterday, and have continued to think about the power of our expressions. So, today I want to explore a bit more…
Don’t you just love it when someone smiles at you? Smiles are like the bubbles in a soda – they make your face sparkle! When someone smiles at me, I just automatically smile back. And then, as I walk away, that happy feeling follows me.
One of the first things a baby learns to do is to recognize the important faces in their lives – momma, daddy, grandma or grandpa, brother, sister. Remember the first time your baby smiled up at you and you knew they recognized you? That is such a special memory, isn’t it? Smiles never lose their value; they are important to you and to your child.
Now, let’s do a reality check. You work all day and afternoons are terrible for working moms. I remember when my son was little, I referred to the time between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. as “Arsenic Hours”. There were days when taking poison seemed like a good alternative…kids crying, homework battles, dinner burning on the stove, phone ringing, toys all over the floor. You know the drill. Looking back, I got so caught up in “getting things done”, I forgot to stop and enjoy my time with my child. Before I could really relax, it was bath and bedtime and a new round of arguing began. I mean, how many times do you really have to remind your child to use soap?
So, what is my message today? I guess it is that I want to encourage you to welcome your child home each day with a genuine “I’m so glad to see you!” smile. Focus on the positive. The toys won’t be littering the floor forever; and I promise there are days when I can’t wait to have a grandchild so I can spend time stepping over toys again.
I was watching TV one afternoon and heard Dr. Phil say that we teach others how to treat us. In other words, we create the atmosphere we live in. Smiling makes that atmosphere so much more pleasant. When we smile, people smile back. We can’t resist; it’s human nature. Maya Angelou said, “If you only have one smile in you, give it to the people you love.” So promise me you’ll take a second to give your child a big grin and see what happens.
Chalk Dust and Dreams 