just stay this little

luke

today at my current job (old navy fitting room girl), i helped a lady into a room, counted her 7 items and told her to let me know if she needed anything. as she was trying on her clothes, two ladies with strollers and about three other little boys came into the fitting room area. one lady went into a room to try stuff on while the other one waited with the strollers and playful little boys who had our famous bouncy balls that children beg their shopping mothers for. they're the good ones that are pretty big and bounce pretty high, so for a kid, especially one who has to walk around and shop (boring), these are the mostfunever. i even keep quarters in my pocket for kids to buy one when their moms don't have any change. the little boys were just having fun and playing as nicely as they could without getting into too much trouble, and i just smiled at them and continued folding the 1000th t-shirt of the day. the oldest little boy looked to be about 7 and was bouncing his ball and cathching it in the air. then — oops! bounced it a little too high. and in it went into lady #1's dressing room. he politely asked me if someone was in there. "yes" i said, then his mother tells him "now you'll just have to wait until that person comes out to get your ball, and you need to apologize." the lady comes out and the mother apologizes for her son. her response?? "(rolls eyes) it hit me in the shoulder. thanks." ummmm????? anyone else confused by this? i looked at the mother and we both kind of laughed, because, seriously that woman 1) obviously has no kids and 2) is really uptight.

this is my thought about this: kids should be allowed to have some fun.

of course parents should watch them as best they can and teach them how to behave, etc. but if an innocent child is simply playing and obviously meant no harm at all, why make him feel bad? i mean, obviously his mother was trying to let them have some fun while she shopped — why embarrass him or be hateful to his mother? the kid wasn't pitching it like a fast ball into anything or anyone. i just don't think that's fair to a kid, or anyone for that matter. children are so important and should be allowed to stay little for as long as possible. they are going to grow up someday and bouncing balls in a store while your mom shops won't be fun anymore. one day, they will be the ones shopping and pushing strollers. they will be the leaving home to make a home of their own. would you want someone to scold you for being an adult, or a redhead, or woman? absolutely not. so don't punish that kid for being who he is in this very moment in time-- a child.

kyle & brady

some of my favorite people are children, or at least younger than me. my cousin katie is one of the fiestiest/smartest kids i know, and she can be so much fun to be around. and her sister becca is becoming a beautiful young woman before my eyes when i can remember holding her at the hospital when she was born. kyle's nephew, brady, has the biggest imagination i've ever witnessed from a 3 year old and i love hearing the stories and lands of adventure he makes up in his mind. another cousin, luke, is constantly wondering about things and you can see it on his face all the time. my triplet cousins, addie, brooke and cooper, crack me up more than just about anyone i know, and that's just those three (i have something like 18 cousins all under the age of 9 on just one side of my family). why take these special, fun moments away from them, or from yourself? they are going to be "grown ups" one day, and i just pray they are never as unfun as that woman was.

i know you can't just let your kids run crazy — crayola on the wall might be "creative expression" but that's what paper is for. all i'm saying is, enjoy these innocent moments with children because witnessing a child playing or learning something new is a blessing, whether the child is yours or not. growing up is so scary — so much comes with it that you weren't prepared for. somehow when you're little, being a "grown up" is so far away. then all at once — you're 22 and living with a boy and hunting for your dream job, whatever that is, and you kind of wish you were able to just sit and color or bounce a ball. these little moments should be appreciated, because seriously, they are fleeting. when you're older and if you had decent parents, you realize they did the best they could — and if you're really lucky, you'll have some fun memories.

krq.