It's 2022, and our youngest daughter, Juliette, is just days away from double digits. (And yes, she's adopted a new way of spelling her name, which seems way fancier for her). For the rest of her life, she'll most likely be double digit. It really shows the impact when you think of it like that. And so I asked my aspiring podcaster if she'd like to be on the podcast, and what were ten things she'd want to talk about.
She came to me with a list of ten things she's grateful for, and I couldn't be more grateful for what she came up with. Check out the podcast to hear her take on them all - and here is her compiled list below.
Juliette's Gratitude List
So here is Juliette's list she came up with on her own. Clearly, as you hear on the episode above, she has no qualms with sharing exactly why these are important to her.
Looking Back...
This blog post, written when Jules was only two years old, was so worth going back to and reading aloud to her as I read this aloud to her on the podcast. Here it is, in its entirety:
“Mommy, I’ gunna grow up!!”
These words were stated by my two-year-old as I once again did the bedtime battle with her. This little girl, so full of love and spunk, stopped me in my tracks. Now, to give full disclosure, there is an added level of cuteness when you learn that what she actually intended to say is “Mommy, I’m going to throw up” because she knows that when her older sisters have said that I stop everything and go with them to the bathroom. Without the concept of how incredibly un-fun it really is to throw up, she figured this ploy would at least delay bedtime a bit.
That being said, what I heard…and I truly heard it… “mommy, I’m gonna grow up.” And BAM, just like that, my rushing to just get the last kid in bed so I can FINALLY have some grown-up time came to a halt.
She is right. Whether she meant to or not, she brought it to my attention again that she is not so little anymore. My little baby, my last precious child is going to grow up. She will assert her independence more and more over the years, pulling further away from me as she becomes her own incredible self.
So, sweet Jules, you will grow up. And yes, you got some extra cuddles out of me that night. But remember this – never, ever forget this:
You are, and always will be, my baby girl. And I vow to remind myself of this daily. Your beautiful sensitivity and compassion for life and everything in it, your silly faces, your oh-so-loving hugs and kisses, and your incredible smile and laughter…I promise to hold this close to me, to remember it in the trying times, to cherish your love and your words on this night, holding a two-year-old while I sing your lullaby song “just one more little bit of time” and do not one, but two “snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rugs”.
Go to sleep, sweet Juliet, go to sleep all through the night, go to sleep, sweet Juliet, wake you with the morning light.
I love you my precious precious girl.
*Photo credits to Jessica Sloan Photography, who got some darling photos from an especially ornery little girl that day!
Your Challenge:
Our challenge to you this week is to have a conversation like this with your kids. What are they grateful for? Have you sat down with them to truly hear their perspective here in the moment?
Pay attention to what your child observes and is grateful for. It may be a reminder to stop and smell the roses a bit more yourself. When we take a moment and ask each other what we're grateful for, we're getting intentional about what we are choosing to be aware of. And the more we can lace that with gratitude, the more opportunities we tend to find to be grateful. It just keeps showing up. Not only is this a beautiful way to bring it to our awareness, in seeing what lights others up, it helps us, again, to celebrate how the uniqueness in each of us strengthens all of us. Namaste!
