Make the ordinary come alive

 Anna, 6 months old, laughing at her great grandmother

Bringing up children is the most important job I have been tasked with and will ever take on. The more thought I give around this task, the more reading I do, and speaking to other mothers whom I respect and love, the more the husband and I talk about this, I realise it is a philosophy of simplicity that I want to follow. This extract from William Martin's The Parent's Tao Te Ching really resonates with me in this regard...

"Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is a way of foolishness.
Help them instead find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself."