Why aren't those shrimps orange?

"Are those shrimps?", chirped Little T as I was peeling and deveining the crustaceans for a salad.

"Yes."

"Why aren't they orange?"

I bit my tongue just as I was about to blurt out the answer and instead said, "Let's find out!"

I made her wait for a little while until all the shrimps were ready to be dropped into the boiling water. As soon as Little T saw the pot, though, she excitedly declared, "The shrimps become orange when they are cooked!"

We want to be the best parents to our children. So we read, educate ourselves, and discuss not only what we want for them but also what we want to be for them. 

That quick exchange is an example of the kind of parents my husband and I are striving to be, parents who:

• Seriously consider their children's questions and take the time to answer them

• Encourage exploration and discovery by giving them the opportunity to explore and observe  instead of just giving the answer outright

• Respect and trust their children by allowing them to think for themselves

• Make simple and mundane details of life wondrous and magical, and dare I say educational, for their children

As we journey through 2012, we pray for more of these moments. Moments of grace when we are able to resist from doing everything for our children, moments when we are able to just step back to let their curiosity grow, moments when we can share the wonder of shrimps turning from grey to orange.

Make magic!

mariel

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