Sometimes you are able to teach your children things that you know will benefit them in the future. You impart your wisdom onto them. You share your life experiences with them. You teach them things like how to study for an exam, the importance of sunscreen, good dental hygiene, how to dream big and reach for the stars… and how to hold a girl’s hair back when she’s getting sick.

Last week, my poor little Lucy was hit by the 24 hour stomach flu bug. It came on hard and fast. One minute she was complaining of a sore stomach, the next she was throwing up in the bath tub. I suggested a relaxing bath a few minutes earlier. It usually calms my stomach. Apparently it has the opposite effect on my 7 year old and immediately brings up everything she’s eaten in the past 8 hours.

Once she was cleaned up (conveniently she was in the bathtub already), I set her up on the couch with a blanket and a bowl. I was hoping the bathtub experience was going to be a one off, but no such luck. Within minutes, we were in for Round Two.

Fortunately, I was able to grab the bowl in time. I was holding the bowl for Lucy with one hand while holding her hair back with the other. But some of her hair was slipping! It was falling through my fingers!

“Sam! SAM!” I screamed. “Come grab the other side of Lucy’s hair!”

Sam immediately jumped into action. He ran across the room and without a single complaint, he grabbed his twin sister’s hair and pulled it away from her face and out of the bowl.

Our eyes met. “You can close your eyes if you want,” I said to him.

He immediately squeezed his eyes shut. I can’t say I blamed him. The only reason I kept my eyes open was because I had to make sure Lucy was aiming at the bowl.

His eyes were closed but he didn’t let go of Lucy’s hair. He comforted her, he told her it was okay and he didn’t let go of a single strand of hair.

Of all the life lessons I teach my son, always hold her hair back when she’s getting sick could be the one that will take him the furthest in life.

Any girl will be lucky to have him.