How a Toddler Motivated His Father’s Epic Transformation

One minute, a small white canvas is void of color and the next, it’s a blaze of rainbow-bright limes, blues and oranges.

Of the Universalist Unitarian shared values that visually resonate with youth, I think transformation, represented by purple in the six-petal flower display of shared values, commands strong contention.

To transform is “to adapt to the changing world” during shifts, large and small. Otherwise, failure to do so may pave an unnecessary path to discontent. Hardly a coincidence, the color is said to promote a balance of calm and insight, fostering deep self-improvement.

Had Matthew Sidwell been spared a haunting experience in mid-summer, reevaluation of his life might’ve been credited to the lyrics of composer Benard Ighner: “Nothing and no one goes unchanged.”

Instead of the oldie but goodie 70s song, “Everything Must Change,” spurring physical alteration and adoption of a sober lifestyle, it was Sidwell’s toddler who motivated the significant shift.

The near dash of two-year-old Wyatt, challenged with autism, into a car on the street compelled the Idahoan father to reevaluate his life’s priorities. After all, he witnessed firsthand tragedy being averted when the child stopped short of danger.

For the gift of protection, the 32-year-old immediately committed to being a better man for his family of five. Not only did he work on himself, “true real transformation began” with safety knob cover installation and initiation of home childproofing activities, according to a Newsweek article.

Today the former prison employee turned personal trainer is thriving in his new role and sharing his transformational journey to spark other parents to be in complete presence for their families by being their best selves. Wyatt, too, is well, having had his home safety amply enhanced.

Shari Wright, UU Education Coordinator