Lessons in Humility (Part 1)

Some of us are humble and some of us have humility thrust upon us and of all the things in life parenting appears to be amongst the most humbling of experiences.

Nobody had enough sleep last night. The three month old seems to be entering in to the early bouts of that oh-so-exciting teething stage and the three year old had one of those nights where she got up every half hour or so just because she could. So, all in all, Mummy and Daddy were a little bit sluggish this morning but, still, we managed to get to breakfast fairly unscathed. All was going pretty well until the latter stages of cereal eating when Daddy’s brain, in its sleep deprived stupor, failed to communicate clearly with Daddy’s muscles resulting in a full spoonful of milk-soaked Rice Krispies cart wheeling into Daddy’s lap. Daddy sat there bemused and slightly stunned, Mummy leapt up to fetch a cloth and the three year old piped up rather helpfully,

‘ha ha ha, daddy. You’re like a child!’

Humility and humiliation are two sides of the same coin: the difference is simply a matter of perspective. Do I take it on the chin or wear it like a mantle of shame?

‘Yes darling,’ I replied with a chuckle, ‘I think you might be right.’