July 31 – “Anecdotal data”

When Josiah (age 3) was here the other day he was hungry.  Actually he gets hungry every time he is here.  It’s kind of a rite of passage through our front door for boys of all ages to get hungry at Nana’s house.  They could have just eaten a full meal, but entering Nana’s kitchen just sparks some kind of internal flame that must be fed with Nana food.  This particular time Josiah’s sweet tooth was doing its best to take over the conversation, though.  Here’s what I heard:

Josiah: “Nana, I want some snoot snacks.”  (That would be translated “fruit snacks” in case you were wondering.  It’s one of the few Josiah-isms we have figured out)

Chris: “How about some fruit?”
Josiah: “I want snoot snacks … or candy.”
Chris: “No candy.  How about some fruit?”
Josiah: (Resignedly) “Okay.” 
Chris: “So do you want an apple?”
Josiah: (Obviously confused) “No.  I want some fruit.”
Chris: (Chuckling) “Do you want an apple or an orange or some grapes?”
Josiah: (Hopelessly lost) “I can have an apple.”
Chris: “Okay.”
Josiah: (sighing) “Okay.”

So, not enough action for you in that anecdote?  Or maybe you just want to hear the female side of things?  Here’s a quick Cailyn interchange we had the other day.

Cailyn: (pulling up a child’s size rocking chair next to my desk and plopping herself down in it): “DadDad, how about let’s talk?”

Me: (How can you resist an offer like that?) “What can we talk about?”
Cailyn: (pensively wondering as if in a daydream) “DadDad, when I grow up … when I grow up …”
Me: (interrupting her thoughts) “Cailyn, how old will you be when you grow up?”
Cailyn: (without hesitating a bit) “Thirteen.”
Me: “Ah.  And what do you do when you grow up to be thirteen?”
Cailyn: (again, without hesitating.  She has obviously thought this through) “You get married.”
Me: “So when you’re 13 years old you’re gonna want to get married?”
Cailyn: “Yep.”
Me: “Your Daddy might have something to say about that.”
Cailyn: “Silly, DadDad,” (I get called that a lot around here) “I’m gonna marry my Daddy.”
Me: (pierced to the heart) “So you’re not gonna marry me?”
Cailyn: (thinking briefly with a finger across her lips) “But I’m gonna dance with you.”
Me: “Ah.  That’ll be just fine.”

Psalms 103:13-14 says, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”

Father, help me remember to have compassion on your children as well.  Amen.