For youth is the smell of innocence...

If you raise your children right... those flowers above were picked for me by Cylas. He came in and handed them to me proudly, "Mahma, you so bleuu-ful". My heart melts every time he does that. He prides himself in being a skilled flower picker. He'll find weeds that have flowers and he'll gift them to me and I make sure to place them in water and set them out for all to see. There are so many thoughts that flood my mind when he does special things like this with me specifically in mind. It shows he loves me and I'm not too far from his thoughts. Is this type of gift giving love on the road to respect for me and his papa? For some reason, I think that love and respect go hand in hand. Yes, he's only three but he's learning what it's like to care for someone and be concerned for someone he loves.

I may be his mother, but Romalise is definitely his little sister. He shows his love and concern for her in different, more violent ways. Well, not always. If she's crying, he'll come to me and say, "Get her, mahm. Take her." And if she looks bored, he'll take every stitch of clothing, sheet and or stuffed animal and pile it on her until it's a writhing mass of toys and stuff. She'll be screaming/crying/laughing and I'm running through the house trying to find out where she's at. Then I'll spot the convulsing pile of stuffed animals and rescue her. Of course, Cylas thinks it's the greatest accomplishment in the world to bury his little sister in all of his worldly possessions. Ahhh, yes. And then there is the curious obsession of sitting on her and seeing how long he can get away with it. Why? Squashing your sister like a helpless bug is never a good thing. But for Cylas it's pretty stinkin' cool. He'll grow out of it soon enough, right?

With all of these fun adventures and new lessons to learn and teach, I pray that I can continue to cultivate this love and respect for me and David in my children and that respect for others will be second nature. What more could a parent ask for than responsible citizens and true Christians.