Of course, some struggles come along with having a child. However, the little moments filled with joy and awe-inspiring moments make it all worth it. From kind-hearted words to kiddos outsmarting their parents, these folks recall the times their children left them speechless. All content has been edited for clarity.
Table of contents
1. The School Superhero
“My second-born was a charmer. Always has been, and always will be. People always gravitated toward him.
When he was eight, though, for no apparent reason, a classmate pushed him down on the playground and stomped on his leg. An aide on playground duty saw the whole thing. I got a call from the nurse, who thought his leg was broken. The mother of the stomper got a call to come to pick him up, he was suspended for three days. The nurse’s fear was unfounded, fortunately, but my son returned to school the next day on crutches for soft tissue injuries.
At the end of the first day, his teacher called to tell me something she thought I should know. My son had asked her if he could say something to the class. She agreed and listened as tears welled up in her eyes.
My son told the class, ‘I believe only unhappy people are mean to others,’ and how the class should be ‘extra nice’ to the ‘stomper’ when he returned from suspension.
He continued by telling the class, ‘Let’s give him a do-over and help him be a happier kid.’
At the end of the year, the teacher, herself the mother of four adult sons, told me the certain development of a bully had been nipped in the bud by the persuasive speech and example of one little boy.”
2. “I Couldn’t Even Be Upset”
“When our son was around 3 years old, I took a parenting class. In the class, the teacher recommended you give your child a choice of two things both acceptable to you. This way, the child felt they had some control over their actions. One night, we had company for dinner. One of our guests was a psychologist who frequently lectured both in the United States and abroad.
When it was bedtime, my son said he didn’t want to go to bed. So, I gave him a choice.
I asked, ‘Do you want to go to bed in your bed or mommy and daddy’s?’
He answered by saying, ‘I want a Coca-Cola.’
I repeated the bed options, his bed or ours. He repeated his desire for a Coke.
We went back and forth like this a few times, then he put his hands on his hips and said, ‘I want a Coca-Cola! Will you pour it or shall I?’
He was using my parenting method on me! It was so smart, I couldn’t even be upset.
Our psychologist friend nearly fell out of his chair laughing. I scooped up my son and put him in his bed. Our friend told us years later about how he told this story in all his lectures going forward until he retired.”
3. “I Was Speechless”
“When my son was 5 years old, I had knee surgery. It was a minor outpatient procedure, but it left my leg pretty much useless for a couple of days.
When we got home from the surgery, I sat in a recliner to put my feet up, but I needed a pillow to support my knee. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t reach any pillow from where I was sitting, nor could I easily lift my leg to place the pillow, and my wife had gone back to town to pick up my painkillers from the pharmacy. So I asked my son for help. He brought a pillow from the couch, lifted my foot as carefully as he could, and pushed the pillow under my knee.
When I thanked him for his help, he replied, ‘Daddy, you always take care of me. Right now it’s my turn to take care of you!’
I suddenly found my voice was as useless as my knee. I was speechless at my child’s capacity for care and love. But, I was thankful my arms were still able to hug him tightly!”
4. “I Was Simply Amazed”
“When my son was six years old, I came home from work one day and he came running to me and said, ‘Daddy, I built a fort.’
‘Wow, let’s go look!’ I answered.
I was expecting a pile of boards just leaning together.
When I looked at the fort, I could not believe my eyes. While helping me do carpentry like building the shed, he had been paying very close attention. And he had framed and sheathed a square fort with rafters. Not even kidding, the kid was a prodigy. Not at all perfect, but better than a job helper could have done.
His mom said it took him all day. He built it with a hand-held crosscut saw. It had to of been a lot of sawing. All of the nails were lined up and hammered in perfectly. I was simply amazed at what he did at six years old.
Two weeks before he died at the age of 26, I showed him the pictures of his cleverly built fort again. We reminisced on the good times when he was a child. My son was the best.”
5. “The Way He Responded Melted My Heart”
“This wasn’t my little one, but my roommate’s son. At the time, he was 5 years old.
Every other week, I bought fresh roses to brighten up the kitchen. My local flower shop had many colors to choose from. One day I asked my roommate’s son, ‘Henry,’ to pick a color.
He said, ‘Roses are usually red, so get red ones!’
I came back and surprised him with the roses of his choice.
Henry replied, ‘Wow, you remembered I said red!’
I responded, ‘Well when you care for someone, you try your best to listen and remember the things they say.’
He pondered on my statement for a bit.
Later in the day, I had finished some yoga in my room. When Henry was bored, he usually scurried in when I opened my room door to keep me company. I had a strict rule about how my yoga mat was not to be stepped on. Once in a while, Henry forgot. I noticed how he walked to the other side of my room diligently walking around my mat making extra sure he didn’t step on it since it was in a tight space.
Relieved, I said, ‘Thank you for remembering not to step on my mat, Henry.’
The way he responded melted my heart. He said in the most comforting and genuine tone, ‘Sel, I care for you and you told me not to step on it so I’m not going to!’
What an angel he was.”
