Our son Xander picked up an electric guitar tuner this evening. He held it to his ear, started speaking his own amazing language into it, and walked around and around and around the house... I saw myself! Me, the one who can't sit still on the phone... the one who paces and multitasks... too often. I am working on this discipline. One thing at a time...

How timely that I found this piece from William Martin, the author of "The Parent's Tao Te Ching." He speaks so well of parenting. The second part reminds me of David's comment that our son "has the attention span of a goldfish."

Beautiful, I say.

*******

Become The Student

Children are fascinated by the ordinary

and can spend timeless moments

watching sunlight play with dust.

Their restlessness they learn from you.

It is you who are thinking of there

when you are here.

It is you who thinks of then

instead of now.

Stop.

Let your children become the teachers,

and you become the student.

Your children may frequently change the focus

of their attention.

But this is not restlessness.

It is curiosity.

When they are doing something

they are doing only that

until they move to the next thing.

Watch them.

Let them set the pace.

See what you can learn.