The Littlest Influences

In the Tree House—The Littlest Influences

By: Samantha Stroube Daviss

We all know we take a little something learned away from every single day. Whether it’s through a driving experience we encountered. Say you had a bad run-in with another driver; and what you took away from it was how you handled yourself. Did you explode back at them? Or did you hold yourself together with a little grace and dignity (even though you wanted to rip their head off)?

Maybe you learned a little something about yourself through a night out on the town with some friends. Maybe someone said something that triggered in your head, and it opened your eyes to a new way of looking at the world. Or maybe, your friend said something hilarious, and it was just a great moment in your life.

Regardless of the influences in our lives, hopefully we all take a little something from them, and apply them to our lives to make us even better, stronger people for those around us.

It just dawned on me the other day, that I am constantly surrounded by three of the littlest, but best, influences in the world. My three boys; they make me a better person every single day. Even though I crash into bed at night, falling asleep before my head hits the pillow from pure exhaustion; or sit on the couch with a glass of wine in my hand satisfied with the fact, that yes, as a college graduate, I did in fact help my 9-year-old conquer fourth grade homework, for yet another daunting evening; or there are those evenings that as the residing “Iron Chef” in our household, I created another masterpiece of Cheerios or Life cereal for our gourmet dinner. I try to be the best mother I can be, but that is not always the case; but, I do attempt to be the best person I can be every single day.

Regardless of the outcome of my day, I have been blessed to be lifted up to another level of being a better person, all because of the three little men in my life. From my oldest, I take the thirst for knowledge. The fact that he is always observing, learning and asking me such questions as “Mom, what are apples made of?” Not only does it make me smile, but it is so true…it’s the things in life that we already know, that we assume they know.

He also reminds me to stand up for what I believe in and stand up for my friends. He tells me about stories from school, where someone said something mean to a buddy, so he stepped in to resolve the situation or defend his pal. And aside from his smile, and our daily hugs and kisses, he and I have a “no secrets” policy. So no matter what happened at school, good or bad, he is totally open and honest. So his presence reminds me to always be an honest person, you get what you see with me.

Now my middle son, reminds me to smile and laugh. Every day I get him up from his nap, I open that door, and he either greats me with a smile and a “Hi Mamma” or a smile, a giggle and yells “Surprise” (or as he says “Prize”) at the top of his lungs. So it’s the simplicity and joy he finds in everything he does in life, which reminds me I need to not take things so seriously and laugh a little more often.

He also reminds me that being embarrassed is all in the eye of the beholder. We all tend to get so wrapped up in what others think of us, that we lose sight of the here and now. He will squeal in public with so much excitement or laugh so loudly, my sides hurt. As a younger mother I would have “shooshed” him. But now, I take it all in stride. We all need to squeal and laugh out loud every now and then.

And (as I call him) Thing #3! Even though he hasn’t been on this earth very long, he reminds me of just exactly what unconditional love really looks like. It looks like a little blonde toe head, two big blue eyes, and a huge smile staring up at you from the bottom of a crib. He reminds me to embrace the present, and when you see someone or something you like…your initial reaction is always the best.

So when I go to get him out of his bed and those little feet start kicking and that little “Coo” starts sounding off… I know there is nothing but pure elation coming out of that little body.

But the main thing I take away from them is to be a better person. To set the example I need to set so they become the best people, friends, and husbands they can be as adults.