Do you ever have those days when you wonder, "are my kids getting it"? I question myself often, but then there are those glimmers, sometimes fireworks, those aha! moments when Little Buckaroo shows me that my quest to train his heart is working.
Little Buckaroo has been going to AWANA for a year and a half now. The whole time he has had a best friend there named L. Well, L was born without half of one of his legs and has an artificial limb. I knew this but did not feel that I should say anything at the beginning of the year because then Little Buckaroo would focus on that. So, I waited until the right time. It got warmer in the Spring and L began wearing shorts. Still, Little Buckaroo did not say anything. So, one night on the way home I asked him how Cubbies was. He, in his 4-year-old mentality, first told me what they had for snacks, one of his favorite parts of the night. Deprived little boy rarely gets sugary snacks at home so snack time is a big deal. Then, he was telling me about game time. The competitive ex-soccer player I am said, "oh, did your team win?" He said," win? mom, we just played this game where you run around a circle and go pick-up a bean bag. Nobody wins." Of course, I was back-peddling in my mind- he had the right mentality, I didn't. Before I could formulate the PROPER response, he continued on to tell me that L.'s leg fell off during game time. I said, "oh, was he alright?" I thought...Here we go, I am ready for this. Focus, focus, train his heart. Little Buckaroo in his sweet innocence said, "Mom, L. is my best friend, its o.k. that his legs are not like mine, that is why I slow down and run with him during game time all the time. Anyway, Mr. Jason just put it back on and we kept playing." There was a big pause, I was formulating my praise and mini-sermon on how he is to always to take care of those smaller and weaker than him just as he does L. Before I could open my mouth, Little Buckaroo had moved on with "mom, did I tell you I got to have OREOs tonight?" I just giggled and said, "that is so great, what a great night you had." Enough said.
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23
8 comments:
I'm so damn emtional, since CJ decided to enlist in the Air Force and fly on a gunship, that this made me cry...
I want to hug your son for his simple yet OH SO POWERFUL message.
Thanks for taking the time to share...
Hallie
What a sweet boy!
That is so sweet. When kids grow up learning about people with disabilities or handicaps it's not such a big deal to them...it's business as usual, they don't so much see the things that other kids see when not exposed to it. your son has a good heart.
My mom worked in an elementary school for years and years. One of the kids had an artificial leg, but his parents didn't want anyone to know about it because they didn't want their kid treated differently, so none of the other kids knew about it till one day they were all playing soccer at recess and the little boys' leg flew off. My mom said all the other kids ran freaking out running and screaming. That poor little boy...if only his parents didn't feel it was something to hide, those other kids would have not been so freaked out and the little boy wouldn't have felt so rejected on the playground. After that of course...everyone knew and the kids were all back to business as usual, they knew this kid had few limitations, but geez...can you imagine the nightmares some of them had for awhile?
Thanks for sharing your son's beautiful heart with us. I love how purely and simply children see the world. L's leg came off, no biggie. We had Oreos, biggie! :)
I think the beauty of young children's hearts is that they don't focus on differences, they focus on what they have in common. The older we get, the more we look at the differences. Maybe the beauty of the "blog world" is we tend to focus much like little buckaroo on the things we have in common, because we don't necessarily even know our differences yet. He is a a precious boy. I know Wiener Woman and Stace have precious boys too, though all grown up now. Boys are so much fun and such a blessing from the Lord. They can be all rough and tumble one moment, and gentle and loving the next. Good post Mrs. Park Wife, good post.
Pam
Very, very sweet! Looks like you've already been teaching him the right things!
Ack, you made me cry, too! How sweet!
They are amazing creatures aren't they. Sounds like you are doing a great job.
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