advocate

I learned to be an advocate the hard way….for myself and those I love.  We raise our kids so that they might be prepared for all their future experiences…give them the tools and knowledge to live a great life….and sometimes we teach them when we don’t even realize it.   Eme is our outgoing one, although she can be bashful.  So I was surprised yesterday when at the girls 2nd soccer game, Eme was playing on the side lines with two other friends, and someone smoking some distance away.   

My child comes up to me and says:

Eme- Momma are you ok?

Me- I’ll be ok baby.

Eme makes a sad smile and walked away.  A few minutes later…

Eme- Momma, can you still smell the smoke?

Me- (after just having to use my inhaler) Not anymore. 

Eme- (Smiling an “I KNOW” smile) Good Momma, I’m glad.

Me- (had that uh-oh my kid has done something feeling) What happened?

Eme- I asked her to stop.

Me- You what?!?

Eme- I asked her to stop.  I went up to her and said, “Mam, could you please stop smoking?”  She said, “Me?  You want me to stop smoking?”  So I said, “Yes please” and she said that she was far away from everyone, so I said, “Yes, but my Mom has asthma.”  So she said ok and put it out.

Me-  Thank you baby.

I hugged her trying not to cry.  Later on it happened again, but this time it was a man smoking, a strong one!  I used my inhaler, and was coughing hard by this time.  Everybody was saying something about it and then the smell went away….yep, my child said something to him as well….very politely too.   We all call Eme “Little Grindad” cause she is soooo much like him.  Yeah, I carried my stun gun when I went places with Grindad, cause he could get your butt kicked in a heart beat.  I think it’s time to get it back out again for we have a new advocate in the family.

God Blesses!