Today my dad texted me that three military helicopters were heading our way. Seeing the text, I ran to get the three older kids and told them to run outside with me. We all gathered in our back yard, listening and looking.
Our little boy, ~3 years old at the time of writing, shouted “hear it! hear it!” and the older twins agreed. The anticipation was building. Suddenly I spotted three dots between some of our neighbors’ roofs. I quickly picked each kiddo up on my shoulders so they could spot above the fence the dots get closer and eventually pass by as helicopters they could clearly see.
It’s been years in the making for them to have this level of excitement for the little things, because I have excitement for these little things. I find them fascinating and I bring my kids along, too. We spent the next few minutes talking about the helicopters (they ended up being Apache helicopters from what I could see) and how they could listen to them, how they sounded like cars initially but then they knew they were helicopters, and how many rotors were on them, and on and on.
These little moments, all happening in just a few minutes, are critical as a parent. Please do take your kids to water parks, and big vacation adventures. But don’t neglect the little things that spark joy, too.
Get excited about seeing a ladybug on the driveway. Call your kids out and all get down and look at it. Talk about it, and then talk about your favorite bug. I know my kids are toddlers at the moment, so maybe I’m a fool to think 10-year-olds or beyond would find joy in this… but I hope our kids will, if only to laugh at the crazy guy stooped over a centipede crossing the driveway with a smile from ear to ear.
Being a great parent is hard. Having these moments of joy is hard. But don’t give up. Invest in your children’s ability to experience joy in the little things.