What's Truly Important

For any of you who know me and know the hubs very well you understand pretty quickly that I am the one who talks the most, ok all the time. Yes the hubs talks of course, if it is about farming or cattle or pigs he will talk to anyone anytime anywhere but in most settings he isn't going to say much, sometimes that is because most of what he has to say isn't exactly appropriate. I have developed a love for the inappropriate over the years. This leads to times when we are somewhere if he speaks up I usually try to listen up because he has something to say with thought and purpose.

One of these moments that stopped me in my tracks happened earlier this week as we were having a parent teacher conference with Charlot's teacher. The teacher and I were talking as normal and the hubs was listening, we were discussing her grades, completing her work, her scores on the Stanford test, how Charlot wanted to do show and tell and anything else we could discuss. When suddenly the hubs says, "All of these things are great but is she a good person, a good friend, is she kind?" I sat for a minute and listened as the teach assured us that yes she is all of those things that she tries her best to be kind to everyone. Maybe we are doing ok at this parenting thing.

Pretty soon the conference was over the hubs told us he had to get back to work and would see us later and Charlot and I headed out to pick up her brother. As I drove the hubs words just kept coming back into my head, is she a good person, a good friend, is she kind?. I just couldn't shake the fact that possibly I was focused on the wrong things, now hear me out yes grades and test scores are very VERY important, but is being kind not just as important. All my years of focusing on her grades never once had I asked the simple question he asked, and I know he didn't ask it to make me think, he wanted to make certain we weren't raising a jerk. He for sure didn't ask the question in hopes it would cause me to blog, LOL. But he asked because he cares.

So get to the point right? Maybe just maybe if we all focused a little more on being good people, being good friends, and being kind we would and could truly change the direction this world is headed. I guess next time you or I might see our kid not performing quite as well as we'd expect weather it be sport, showing, school, whatever remember that yes these things are very important but there is a bigger picture in life that we need to help paint as well.

Be good, be a good friend, and be kind.