I don’t remember exactly when we taught the girl to toast with her sippy cup. In fact, I don’t even remember how it came to be a thing, but this morning at breakfast there we were, all three of us, toasting with our mugs of coffee and her sippy cup. To the untrained eye and ear, her holding her sippy cup out and saying ‘Cheers!’ might not be an invitation to clink glasses, but in our household, it’s a toast, a celebration, an opportunity to pause for just a moment. It’s such a small celebration, but it somehow makes the meal much more special. There were so many celebrations already this morning, before we decided to dedicate a toast to our oatmeal and fruit. So many times that I clapped and smiled and told her that she did a good job (while clearly articulating what it was that she did a good job doing).
She managed to put all her books away this morning after reading them. She loves to take them off the shelf and bring them to me. However, the putting away of the books is a task that I usually have to take care of myself. Today was celebration as she actually stood them back up on the shelf. She was so proud of herself.
We had another small celebration when, for once, she didn’t fight/cry while having her diaper changed. This is by far her least favorite activity and every morning is such a struggle to get the girl ready for the day. Today was almost calm and pleasant - a true celebration.
Of course, in life, there will be the big celebrations - birthdays, holidays, doing well in a competition, but I think it is important to remind the girl to look for smaller things to celebrate. If we are only looking for the big moments, we miss the happiness and joy of simpler things.
I'm in Charge of Celebrations by Byrd Baylor