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| Check out Mario in the middle!!! HA!!!! - you can click on the pic to zoom in & see him better |
EXAMPLE #1 - When things explode, use the shrapnel for fun
Ahhh, Mario. He's always good to share in a laugh or make one for everyone else! We were out grabbing a quick supper after Sparkles' ballet recital a few days ago and the ketchup was not coming out for his fries. So Mario squeezed harder. Nothing. Then he does what anyone would do - he flips it up to look and see if anything was blocking the nozzle. Then (for some unknown reason!) he squeezed it again....
The next morning we were still washing ketchup out of his nose!
I dared him to do it again & told him I'd give him $5. Apparently I'm not teaching him good things... He started coming up with all sorts of other scenarios to earn a little extra money! And we laughed a lot!
EXAMPLE #2 - Celebrate the edge
Spark Plug is incredibly strong for her age. She's also learned to climb. I caught her climbing on to the top of her sister's bunk a couple nights ago (no where near the ladder) and was amazed. Just as she was about to pull herself up the rest of the way, she noticed me & stopped - and stared at me. I couldn't help but smile and say 'nice work!' She then lifted herself on to the top bunk & smiled. So I told her that it was fine to do that - but only if mommy or daddy was around. Partly for safety, but also because I love watching the kids try crazy things (within reason). It's like when she went skateboarding last summer (at age 2). Don't worry, she had a helmet!
EXAMPLE #3 - Eat imaginary fears
Sparkplug was keeping Sparkles awake (they share a room in our rental) so I took her out for a while. She decided that I was the king and she was the princess. Suddenly she got afraid of the dragons flying around the ceiling. So I did what any king would do... I reached up, caught them and ate them. She noticed some more dragons shortly after, so I asked if I should eat them too and her reply was 'no, they can't bother us anymore'.
It reminded of a time when Mario was 2. He was screaming & scared that a skunk was under his bed and after an hour we still couldn't settle him. So, being the hillbilly I am, and crawled under the bed, grabbed the skunk, and proceeded to 'eat it'. When I sat up, my little boy was sitting there smiling and immediately went to bed. We only ever heard about the skunk a few more times at bedtime, but it was always with a smile: daddy EAT skunk!
EXAMPLE #4 - When tired, always lie on the floor
Kids can't jump on you as easily on the couch. And nothing changes a dad's day like little knees being impaled into their back.... Dude in particular seems to need good, hard physical play. Maybe they all do actually! And honestly, they need to learn how to get hurt and move on without holding a grudge. That's what happens when there's 10 elbows flying around in a small space! It's never on purpose, but it always happens with 4 kids competing for how much airtime they can get jumping on dad & getting tickled. Even when I'm tired from house building or overwhelmed with the demands of ministry, I collapse on the floor - because I always end up energized & laughing.
EXAMPLE #5 - Ask your kids to pray for you
Because kids can have some incredible prayers and you need all the help you can get! God has done some very cool things in my life as my kids have prayed for me. That, and then they know that I am not perfect & all together and that they can be vulnerable with me when needed. And honestly, sometimes you need someone thanking God for C*stco hotdogs and gymnastics and everything in sight.
Enjoy your week!
I.B.
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