Bug's Alphabet Song

Bug (2y) and I were playing earlier, and I started to sing the alphabet song. He didn't like it, and let me know. I sang it to a different tune, and he was all smiles.

The realization that he will never be told there is a "right" and "wrong" way to sing the alphabet really got a reaction out of me. He has the freedom to learn the alphabet however he chooses, but it doesn't stop there. Because of the way we're striving to raise him, he has all sorts of freedom that I never had. Namely, his freedom to think for himself.

He won't be beat down with a "right" and "wrong" way to learn, a "right" and "wrong" way to live, a "right" and "wrong" way to find happiness, a "right" and "wrong" way to be successful.

I remember how devastating it felt when I realized most everything I'd been led to believe all my life was lies. That feeling when I realized how much of my life had been wasted thinking other people's thoughts. I watch the joy and freedom my kids are experiencing and think, "look at what was taken from me." It is an amazing feeling knowing it will not be taken from them; thinking of the possibilities that await them. That feeling motivates me to try harder and do better by them every day.