On the way home, Maddie said, "I think I know what mommy would like." I asked, "what?" She said, "she would like a present from me, not a present from a store." "Ok, what do you mean?" Maddie said, "I think she would like love and peace and listening." {and I SWEAR those were her words} I wasn't quite understanding what she meant, though.
She said she wanted to get an empty box and give it to mommy and then tell her that inside was love and peace and listening. I asked her, "what do you mean, listening?" "Well, mommy likes it when I listen so I will give her listening."
Oh man... talk about being slapped in the face with humility. Here is a five year old telling me she wanted to give the greatest gift of all to her mommy - a gift from her heart, not something she could buy in a store.
So we came home and talked about her gift. She wanted a pretty box and then I had an idea to make a box with some pretty paper. So we got online and I found a video tutorial on how to fold paper to make a box. So Maddie and I sat in the breakfast nook, playing and pausing the video until we folded two pieces of paper into a box with a lid. It turned out very cute. Maddie was thrilled.
Maddie then wanted to cut hearts and flowers out of paper and put them in the box. I told her we could make them even prettier by using glitter. So she made the heart shapes with glue and I glittered them. This was the love. I helped her make a peace sign for peace. And then I asked her what we should do about listening. She said, "we can make a star." So we made a star for listening. After all the shapes dried, I cut them out for her and we put them in the box.
Here is mommy opening the box and Maddie is telling her about 'listening.'
Maddie is telling mommy about the shapes and what they mean.
mommy loved it.
what a big heart maddie has and that's why i love her so much!
♥
