the Little People

I'm borderline hypoglycemic (I think). I must have protein for breakfast or I get a wonderful migraine the rest of the day. Most of the time, "protein" consists of 2 eggs with shredded meat (ham, chicken, turkey, beef) scrambled in it, and a thick slice of melted cheddar on top.

I've also discovered that eating 1½ cups of oatmeal every day for breakfast (no sugar... I replace it with ½ cup of raisins) provides enough fiber that I'm not hungry right away.

On that note, let me turn to the little people in my life. Most days, I think it's really neat that I can see both my wife and myself being "lived" in our children's actions.

For example, as my wife vacuums, the 3 varmints follow her around the house fighting over who gets to use the push-sweeper. When she cooks dinner, bakes of cookies, does dishes, etc. they're right there -- wanting to see and do all that Mommy's doing.

Little Bear & Tank have watched their Daddy and Papa work on the playground for 2 weeks. They've walked around picking up every screw they could find on the ground. So Thursday they filled their toy wheelbarrow with every plastic tool they could find, wheeled everything over to where we're working, and laid it all out on a work bench. (I was without that workbench, but they were helping.)

So, you may ask, how on earth do eggs, oatmeal, and a wheelbarrow-full of toy plastic tools relate? What moron blogs breakfast and Little People in adjoining paragraphs? Well, hang on and let me finish:

Little Bear loves eggs. He would like nothing better than to have eggs for breakfast every day. Oatmeal, however, is a totally different story. He really, Really, REALly, REALLY does NOT like oatmeal--not with or without raisins--not with or without brown sugar, or honey, or syrup, or anything else under the sun. Little Bear just does NOT like oatmeal.

Here's where it gets interesting. A few days ago, Little Bear told Mommy he's "Going to be just like Daddy." He wants eggs and oatmeal for breakfast every day. He has to have his sunglasses (sometimes a hat too) on while he's outside (even to swing on his swing). He also wants to pack a toolbox from which to eat his lunch -- every day.

That's why I think it's really neat that I can see both my wife and myself in my children. To be "like Daddy," he's willing to ignore many personal likes & dislikes. No matter what other people think of me, I'm "cool" to Little Bear.

At the same time, it's also VERY scary to think I can see both my wife and myself in the lives of our children. Why? Well, of course I have the window seat on all of my shortcomings -- the various mistakes I've made in life (some more than once), and my personality flaws -- and on that note, I want to cringe.

This observation leads me to believe that parents (and other leaders) need to be willing to forgo any personal likes & dislikes to be sure they're modeling the best possible behavior -- at all times -- for the little ones around them. I can't understand those who don't think being a parent (or grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc.) is a big responsibility. So many just can't see that their stupidity now could cause (or at least contribute to) their child spending years in the, "Big House."

So, yes it's neat, but it's also sobering.