I learn some of the best life lessons from my kids, I wish they were the parents sometimes.

After a recent confrontation with my three-year-old about making huge messes (dumping EVERYTHING out and then wandering off, like, I don’t know, a three-year-old, maybe?) I stormed upstairs from the basement and before I reached the top of the stairs, I came nose-to-nose with my five-year-old. He looked at me with those baby blues of his and said very quietly, “Mummy, you’re angry. Maybe you should self-regulate.” Well, that stopped me in my tracks. And I looked into his little face and he was so sincere and so peaceful, that I could feel my blood pressure start to return to normal levels but something told me that I should explore further this ‘self-regulate’ idea with him.

Me: Ok, so how do would I self-regulate?  Teach me.

Pax (while demonstrating): First you take a deep breath in and hold it and then blow it all the way out.

Me: Ok, done. What’s next?

Pax: Now, you have to squeeze the lemons (for those not in the know, this involves making a fist with each hand and just squeezing).

Me: Ok, now what?

Pax: Now you have to turtle.

Me: Um, you better show me that one. (Because I was pretty sure that girls didn’t turtle, so assuming this was an all-genders activity, it had to be something other than the first thing that popped into my mind *smirk*)

He gets down on all fours and then tucks everything in so that he’s a ball on the floor. I crouched, but declined to do the full turtle, as I was fairly certain, getting up would require a call to the EMT’s.

Pax: And now Mummy, you have stretch like a cat. You can stand up or sit down for this one, k? (First be reaches to the ceiling on his tippy toes and then he lies down on the kitchen floor and stretches out straight, curving his back, just like a cat) And now you’ve self-regulated and you’re IN CON-TROL.’ I *love* to self-regulate, Mummy.

Me: Wow, thanks Paxie, that’s awesome. Thank you for helping me to self-regulate. Did you learn this at school?

Pax (beaming): You’re welcome, Mummy. We’re learning about being “IN CON-TROL.”

So yeah, well, how about that. There I was fit to be tied, frustrated about something that at the end of the day really doesn’t matter, and this little minion, with his sweet, calm demeanour, defuses the situation, helps to make things better and spreads happiness without even batting an eye and barely taking his thumb out of his mouth. Pure Magic + Heart Happiness = My Kids.

When I grow up, I want to be just like my kids. And if that’s not possible, I want to be something else just as amazing and awesome and mind-blowing. I’m just not sure what that is yet.