Life Lessons....

Lesson: It's the little things...

This past week at work I received a the results of a custody evaluation for one of my clients. A custody evaluation is just what you think it is: separating parents go see a professional who does a study and makes a recommendation to the Court as to who should have care of the child/ren.

In the report, the six year child continually brings up how his favorite thing to do is go to Taco Johns with his dad to get a Taco. Here are some examples:

- Child spells on board with mom "I made a lon shot." Mom tells him he spelled "long" incorrectly. Child erases board and writes "I LOVE TO GO TO TACO JOHNS WITH DAD AND EAT TACOS."

- Custody Evaluator asks child what toys he has at dad's house. Child replies: "I have a soccer ball but it is a few years old. I don't have toys at my dad's house, but we go to Taco Johns and get tacos. I like that."

- Custody Evaluator asks child if he likes the current schedule. Child replies: "No, I wish I could spend more time with dad.... so we could go get more tacos and Taco Johns!"

It made me think back to my childhood memories and what I remember as being the most pleasant. Here are some of the favorite things I remember:

- As a child we did "2 a days" at church. 8am service and a 5pm service (Note: Ministers used to prepare two sermons a day?! I wonder if they still get paid the same?) On our way home from the evening service we would often stop at Arbys on Merle Hay Road in Des Moines where my sister and I would split a beef n' Cheddar sandwich and a Jamocha Shake. Those memories are the only reason I go to Arby's twice a year now. I think of the memory and try to relive it by going to the Arby's and ordering the food. The food is absolutely disgusting!

- I remember a Christmas morning in particular when we were staying at my Grandma and Grandpa Vos' house. That year a received a Teddy Ruxpin type of toy. It was not Teddy that made the day special. It was finding Teddy on the fireplace on Christmas morning and knowing Santa had been there earlier.

- I remember one year we were celebrating Christmas with my Uncle Don and Aunt Bonnie. My crafty cousins had created a sled by hooking up a bed mattress of a car hood (both of which they found in the ditch) onto the back of the 4 wheeler. We went sledding all through the country side! What fun!

- I also have a project I made in Kindergarten where I had to finish the sentence. My cousins Nikki and Christi had just moved to town (they are approximately 5-7 years older than me). We must have been spending a lot of time with them because every sentence I finished in the project had to do with them.

"My favorite thing to do is.... see my cousins Nikki and Christi."
"I hope to.... get to see my cousins again soon."
"When I grow up I want to... be just like my cousins Nikki and Christi."

Seriously there were like ten sentences and nearly all of them had to do with my cousins.

I really hope to keep this lesson in mind as I become a parent. I hope to have little traditions that we do together as a family and spend time with other family members that she remembers as her favorite memories. But just in case that isn't enough... I have prepared her the most perfect nursery. :-)