Lessons Learned from a 3-year old

This morning while driving to work, listening to the new Eric Church CD (highly recommended-btw!) I was inspired by his song: 3-Year Old. The song is about the lessons that his 3-year old son has taught him. Its a very cute ballad about how his son thinks his wife is an angel and that the best place to hide a set of keys is in the trash can. But I think my favorite line is when he says, " Nothing turns a day around like licking a mixing bowl." Because on my most stressful days, I would love to be home baking cookies with my mom and licking the mixing bowl.

As adults, we get lost in our everyday lives and forget what it is like to see the world through the purest of hearts-a child. We spend so much time trying to teach them things about the world, that we don't realize that they teach us so much more. I don't have any children yet, but my family has plenty of children that are constantly teaching me something that I wouldn't have learned with my adult brain.

My three year old cousin, Natalie, never ceases to amaze me. She constantly puts a smile on my face and reminds me how precious life is. Natalie has taught me more in her three years than most people have and she doesn't even know it. She has taught me that unconditional love is a real thing. I never knew I could love someone so much until I met that little girl. She has taught that it is okay to be clumsy and fall down, as long as you get back up and laugh about it and say "I'm just ehsausted!" (translation-exhausted). She has taught me that its alright to be wrong, as long as you say you are sorry. She has taught me that I am beautiful; she tells me constantly that I am VERY pretty and there is no greater compliment than from her. She has taught me that when I am sad, all I need is a hug and kiss from her to know that everything is right in the world. She has taught me that your greatest blessings sometimes come in the smallest packages.

But shes not the only kid that teaches me lessons daily, she is just the only three year old. My cousin, Logan is a teenager and has taught me that hard work and determination are the key to achieving your dreams. The kid is such an inspiration to me, he wakes up every morning before school and practices for his swim team. His commitment and passion for what he does is truly inspiring. He is constantly getting better at swimming, while having good grades in school. The kid is going to do great things because of his own desire to achieve great things. I think if we all had that kind of positive drive and desire, this world would be a better place. He pushes himself to be better than yesterday and I think that's something that we all need to strive to do in an imperfect world.

Take a minute and appreciate what the kids in your life are teaching you. Their lessons are most powerful because they don't even know that they are teaching them to you. There are so many lessons that my family members kids have taught me, I could go on forever. Like Prestons vivid imagination or Mikaylas wit and sass that always stops me in my tracks. I am beyond grateful for my family and for these kids that have already impacted my life in ways, they don't even know. Most importantly, they have taught me that your are never too old to be silly and embrace your inner kid.

Check out Eric Church' new song: http://tasteofcountry.com/eric-church-three-year-olds/