Lessons from a two year old

She is the cutest little girl I know, a miracle straight from God’s throne room.

Her screech when I come through the door is priceless! Her heart beats wild and she beams with excitement. I have had good belly laughs watching her discover the world around her and I have learned a few lessons too.

One day, I watched as she tried to demystify a ray of light. She grabbed it with all the might her hand could master, turned her little chubby palm over to see what she had caught but … it was gone. She tried again, grabbed the ray of light, slowly and carefully turned her hand over and again… nothing. She looked puzzled but within seconds she was skipping along to the next thing. Don’t stop being curious.

On another occasion, I watched again as she raised her forefinger and thumb to catch a bubble, the shock and surprise on her face when it popped and disappeared was priceless. Life from a child’s point of view is fantastic! If only I could adopt half her perspective, I would absorb more joy out of life. The mundane would not be. Praise would continually be on my lips. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven belongs to those with child like faith.

She is affectionate, always concerned for others. She reaches out and rubs her brother’s shoulder when he is upset.  I nearly choked yesterday and it was ever so soothing to hear “mummy, are you okay?” I felt better instantly. Showing concern for those near and dear makes the world a better place.

She is dramatic.  When she is upset, she throws every emotion in there, tears roll, she throws her hands down in frustration, falls to the floor and shakes uncontrollably, but words such as grapes, cookie and Elmo bring all theater to a halt. She’ll immediately dust herself off and trace the origin of the words. Except for the tear marks on her face, one would hardly tell she had been crying. Go through the emotions (maybe with less drama) but don’t bottle it up. When you are done, dust yourself off and keep moving.

She counts to ten, she knows her colors and she sings the alphabet. She is content with routine. She is lighthearted and cheerful. She loves to laugh. When we have tickle time, it’s so much fun to see her out of control. She laughs so hard then she says “funny! Again”.  I love it! She makes me feel young again; her zest for life stirs me up. 

She has had no trouble going to bed at night or napping during the day but since she turned two, she is expressing resistance. The world is more interesting. She comes up with excuses like “Amani go potty” I rush her to the special seat, make sure she is seated then she looks at me and says “not coming” or “all done”. We head back to bed and suddenly “my neck hurting”, “my stomach hurting” and now her favorite “Amani say goodnight daddy”. I used to drag daddy in to say goodnight until I discerned her little game. Even the cutest and innocent of us has a trick or two up their sleeve :-) .

She is organized and always eager to learn. She makes attempts to do everything by herself like brushing her teeth, locking and opening doors, dressing up ... She repeats each new word she hears. She can even say “Frankincense” how cool is that?

She likes clothes, shoes and necklaces – daddy had better save up double. I fore see some serious spending in the future. A girl needs to look good! She has got that down alright.

She is spontaneous. I love the way she bursts into song. We enjoy free entertainment when she dances, mostly to music in her head.

She is focused. She knows exactly what she wants and articulates it ably. Attempts to dissuade her will be intercepted with a firm “no!” not in defiance but more like“I have thought long and hard about this and this is what I would like to do” as if to say “I got this mom!”

She loves her fruits; we all know the benefits there in.

To think that she would not be here if Nziiza or Kwizera had made it leaves me in awe of God. His way is perfect!  I’m continually reminded that “All things work together for good for them that know the Lord and are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28