A day or a lifetime?

... Teaching moments come and go and I often wonder what sticks in the minds of my kids. What lessons can they learn... how can we expand their thinking?

Sitting around the table for dinner on Christmas Day... Mo was telling a joke about "how do you frustrate a rich man"... without skipping a beat - Dale turns the conversation around and asked... "why not ask - how can we help someone in need?" There was silence.

A few moments later - Ryan breaks the silence and says, "Well, if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day... if you teach him how to fish you feed him for a lifetime"

If you've met our little 9 year old Ryan - you'll agree that he's not your average 9 year old! My little miracle boy never ceases to amaze me! Dale & I just looked at each other & starting laughing while shaking our heads over our sons philosophical Chinese Proverb moment. He understood exactly what we were trying to teach... and thankfully he has some really good teachers (Mr. B - his PE Teacher taught him this quote) at McCool Elementary who are also taking the time to expand our kids thinking! The best part is knowing that Ryan is actually listening... and as always - his timing impeccable!

Now those cute little fishy ornaments I bought in Hong Kong that hang on our Christmas tree have new meaning... reminding me to always ask myself- how are we feeding our kids? In the rush of life... am I just feeding them for the day... or am I taking the time to teach them for a lifetime?