Beautiful Whoopsies

I’ll never forget the precious 5 year old’s face when I entered his kindergarten classroom after he had just celebrated a Beautiful Whoopsie. Beyond excited doesn’t begin to describe him. ~ “Mrs. Bailey, Mrs. Bailey!! Guess What I did this morning?” He was full of wonder and awe. I had just arrived for Mindful Friday. I remember not being able to even begin to guess what this sweet boy -(who was always eager to share something about his day with me a frog, some cool snack, a story about his baby sister) would say on that particular day. I know that I wasn’t prepared for what was to come that’s for sure!

“I JUST MADE A BEAUTIFUL WHOOPSIE!”

I looked at him… all wonder and fantastic enthusiasm and thought, “Well that’s just lovely as can be- what is a Beautiful Whoopsie?” He told me that it was a HUGE MISTAKE and he was SO EXCITED that he made it, because he got to be celebrated. I let that sink in for just a moment or two as I looked around at the smiling faces of his peers who were equally excited about this epic mess up. Wellsa, isn’t this something.

CELEBRATING A MISTAKE! I LOVE IT!!!!

This youngster wasn’t hiding in the corner or under a table, asking to see the nurse or in the restroom with a bellyache because he messed up in math center a few moment earlier. Nope, he was celebrating his mistake with his friends. And how did he know how to do this? His beautiful, loving, emotionally intelligent teacher – the one who cared more about the children she taught then the things she taught her children showed them that MISTAKES are things to be CELEBRATED.

WE ALL CAN LEARN A LITTLE SOMETHING FROM THIS…

I don’t look at mistakes the same way anymore. How could I? I mean, I still need some perspective from time to time because let’s face it, old patterns of beating myself up for my messy life mishaps are hard to break ~ some days. But, I’d be a liar if I didn’t say that day changed something for me. I saw how children reframed mistakes inside of their own hearts and minds as things that could be celebrated and not things to be ashamed of, feared or worried about. I watched children CHOOSE calm and cool over dysregulation because a loving, regulated adult taught them that being “messy” and making a “Beautiful Whoopsie” was a thing to be OKAY with not to DREAD. So when I make a mistake I can choose to beat myself up or I can tell my inner child- I did my best in that moment. I’m still learning and I’m still growing and I can choose to celebrate my messy life moments and see them as great opportunities to learn, grow and do it differently next time, rather than an epic failure.

GRATEFUL FOR THE LESSONS

I’m grateful for the life lesson I received that day from a wide-eyed 5 year old boy and his beautiful and loving friends who were oh so eager to celebrate his mistake with Hoots and Fist Bumps and Tippy Toe Dances around the kindergarten classroom. I’m grateful for kindergarten teachers who take the time to teach self compassion so we can give compassion more freely to others. We all make mistakes some days. We are so much more than the sum total of those mistakes. They don’t define us and if we let them, they can help us all grow up to be who we’re meant to be in this world…. good humans, just doing our best to be good to one another.