Look Closely, Messy Kitchen, Child's Prayer

Look Closely--Yet again we've discovered the source of another troubling trait in our children. First, the trait. I'm certain I am not the only father who responds, "Go look in your room" when my children ask me the location of something that belongs to them, a costume, a toy, a water bottle, etc. I'm also certain I'm not the only parent to witness my children walk begrudgingly up to their rooms and return and say, "I didn't see it" or "it's not there" after barely peeking in through the door. Well, my wife asked me to look in a bin for our daughter's church shoes today. I shuffled around in there for a minute before calling back to her, "I can't find it!" A second more of looking, and I found it. Then, this afternoon, I looked in the fridge to see if we had something for a sandwich. I saw what I assumed was almond butter on the bottom shelf (because that's the only kind of nut butter I've ever seen in the fridge). It made me think, "a peanut butter sandwich sounds good." So, I went to the cupboard and grabbed a brand new jar of peanut butter. I broke the seal and opened it. My wife walked in right as I dipped the knife in to stir it and said, "No!" with the bitter disappointment of someone who'd just bet her life savings on the wrong horse. The jar I just opened was the same organic peanut butter I saw in the fridge. Now, this jar would have to go in the fridge, and it's unlikely we'll be able to polish off both jars before one or both goes bad. Oops. Just as my son walked into the kitchen to see what happened, my wife lectured me about how I am lazy when it comes to looking for things at home. "You need to look carefully," she said. I admit I was a little embarrassed getting this lecture in front of my son, but my wife said she was glad he was there because she got a two-for-one deal. You guessed it. Just as I am the likely source of my children's lazy listening, I am clearly the source of their lazy looking. All of this self-awareness starts to get painful after a while!

Messy Kitchen--But it's not over yet. After our beautiful Sunday dinner tonight, I walked into the kitchen to grab something and walked back to the table as carefree as could be. However, my wife, who had apparently been carrying this burden all evening finally confessed, "I'm sorry the kitchen is a mess!" It is true that this dinner required the use of more dishes than usual, and the kids played in the kitchen a little bit and left a clear trail of toys, but that is the price of my wife's wonderful cuisine. I didn't mind. What troubled me is that she thought I would mind, probably because up until recently I it's true, I would have. I am a very particular guy. I am not home with the kids to learn to lighten up a little when it comes to organization and order. In fact, I remember several weekends and even birthday parties or dinners with guests where I cleaned up after people the whole time instead of socializing. I've since loosened my strings a little and learned to enjoy moments instead of stress about them. But apparently, this string has taken a little longer to loosen. Thanks, Honey, for a wonderful dinner. I didn't mind the dishes. (I told her in person too).

Child's Prayer--I know that our children came to us with spiritual gifts developed or given long before their time here. I also know that many other parents feel that way. Often, children say or do things that are so mature, profound, inspired, etc. that there is no denying it. Perhaps the most frequent manifestation of this reality is in a child's prayer. My son prayed tonight, "We're thankful for this wonderful day. Please bless that I can be good. Please bless that I can sleep well tonight, and (everyone in the family listed by name), and anyone else. And please bless the earth." My son has been praying without any prompting for almost two years now. These are his own thoughts and feelings, and I wonder at his ability to tune into them so well at such a young age. As I've said before, I'm inspired by the innocence, sincerity, and tenderness of his prayers.