On Father’s Day our children hosted a cookout for their beloved “pops” and “bumpa” (grandpa). 
The day was perfect. The sun was shining and like Goldilocks would say, “it was neither too hot nor too cold. It was just right.”
The smell of hots and hamburgers cooking on the grill seemed to call us to the picnic table nearby where we could sit and munch on veggies and chips while waiting for the food to cook.
The twins (age 5 1/2) were playing on the lawn and we adults took turns playing kick ball and such with them. We squealed, we yelled “run…run…run to second base!” etc. and we laughed. We grew sweaty.
For a few moments the children’s fluid bodies and energetic spirits brought that out in us. Muscle aches and pains only came later! Play was magical.
Love was in the air.
It is easy to take family gatherings for granted, but in reality they are deeply connecting, even spiritual experiences. We transcend the everyday, the mundane of hectic schedules and endless responsibilities and concerns. Simple family traditions help us model relationship building and provide a context for our children to learn about play, sharing, listening, renewing, and loving.
One special moment of pleasure for me happened at one point when young Quinn shared something with his sister and I acknowledged him for sharing so nicely. It was his response that tickled me. With a mere shrug of his shoulder, he stated, “That’s character.” As if it was the most natural thing to do.
Whoa! If we ever wonder about our children’s ability to learn from us, this is a profound reminder that they do.
As a life coach who loves to work with parents and teachers, I was touched and reenergized by his answer. I believe in the power of teaching by example and learning by experience. Our own personal growth helps us to be the kind of parents that provide an environment of love and learning.
We all learn much more from personal experience than from lectures, books, and information, as important as these are. Our brain’s work is to make connections and the most powerful and memorable connections come from experience and the feelings that go with those experiences.
It is only when our children experience our own character development and/or personal transformation that we can effectively teach what we want them to learn. The twins are receptive to the learning presented by their teacher because they experience it in their home and in their classroom! Remember, they had just shared their joyful voices in the kindergarten play (described in my previous blog, “Thank You, Mrs. Rose”) that highlighted their studies on character development.
So from watching them cuddle grandpa as he opened their cards and listening to them chatter, to hearing their excitement while watching very little birds chase very big birds away (apparently protecting their nests), and feeling their arms around our necks in warm hugs, we were transported to the land of happiness. An apparently ordinary event became extraordinary.
Ordinary moments always have potential to become extraordinary when filled with love and joy.
It was a perfect Father’s Day. The gifts of time, energy, and sharing of all of the children were … you guessed it, character building at its best! And all done for one of our favorite family “characters” … Pops and Bumpa.