Maddy isn't really a baby anymore, but the things that come out of her mouth sure are funny. The other day she was "reading the Bible to me. Second Samuel, in fact. There are some stories in there I'd never heard. One about a "guy" who got a Christmas tree and decorated it with stars and then flowers started coming out all over it and then it "'sploded!" The "guy" had told someone, "No sir. I cannot kill the Christmas tree." She ended the story by saying, "Then he went into his house and told his lady, 'I killed it'." Spiderman breaking windows in a bus and "'sploding" it is also in II Sam., believe it or not.
She asks all kinds of questions. Mostly they start with "Why..." and she asks them multiple times a day for weeks on end. "Why did Aaron (friend from church who is several years older than her) growed to much?". "Why do sugar bugs eat holes in my teeth?". "Why don't Miss Jennifer need me anymore?". (This was her feeding therapist. She asks this every therapy session and it is so sad because it's like she feels Miss Jennifer rejected her by discharging her from feeding therapy instead of feeling like she made a good
accomplishment.) "Why is our old car at the car store?" (Yep, still hasn't given up on the hope that somehow we are going to get rid of the Rav 4 and get the Isuzu back.) "Why's Daddy have to go to his office?". "Why I didn't listen?". (Usually asked after she gets in trouble for not obeying. She still hasn't figured out that she's the only one who knows the answer to that question!) We also have deep religious discussions: Who is God? Who made God? Where is Jesus? Where are Adam and Eve? Why did Adam and Eve make a bad choice? (don't we all wish we knew the answer to that one?) Where is heaven? One day at dinner she was asking who God was and Aaron told her that God is the the one who made everything. She sighed and said, "I wish I wasn't made." Feeling a bit alarmed I said, "Why do you say that?" She didn't really have an answer so Aaron asked, "Well where do you wish you were if you weren't made?" Maddy said, "I wish I was in heaven so I wouldn't have to be sick anymore." (We'd been talking about heaven and how we won't be sick or sad when we go there.) Man! Talk about a comment that made us so proud and want to bawl at the same time.
Some of these questions are so annoying and frustrating, but I've been coping with them better lately. I realized answering her questions is a great way to find out kind of where her brain is going and figure out if she understands things. It's been kind of fun and scary to get to help her understand who Jesus is and what he means to us. It has really challenged me to go back and explain the basics of my faith and why I believe what I believe. I remember when I was little a particular conversation with my mom about who made God. By the end I was in tears because I just couldn't understand how God could have always just been there. I was very small because I'm pretty sure this was in Beaumont and I barely remember it. However, I've thought about it a lot lately and it's been comforting to know that I don't have to have all the answers. My mom not being able to explain that to me didn't wreck my faith in the long run. Mostly it's just helped me realize that I just have to steer her toward God and that God is the one who does and will help her understand who he is.
Meanwhile, I will get up tomorrow and answer questions like "Why can't we go to McDonald's?"
"Why's that truck red?" "Why babies can't walk?" "Why did the witch in Ariel make a big storm in the lake?" "Why is it daytime?" "Why you turn this way to go to school?" "Why's my name start with M?"
I'd better get some sleep.
She asks all kinds of questions. Mostly they start with "Why..." and she asks them multiple times a day for weeks on end. "Why did Aaron (friend from church who is several years older than her) growed to much?". "Why do sugar bugs eat holes in my teeth?". "Why don't Miss Jennifer need me anymore?". (This was her feeding therapist. She asks this every therapy session and it is so sad because it's like she feels Miss Jennifer rejected her by discharging her from feeding therapy instead of feeling like she made a good
accomplishment.) "Why is our old car at the car store?" (Yep, still hasn't given up on the hope that somehow we are going to get rid of the Rav 4 and get the Isuzu back.) "Why's Daddy have to go to his office?". "Why I didn't listen?". (Usually asked after she gets in trouble for not obeying. She still hasn't figured out that she's the only one who knows the answer to that question!) We also have deep religious discussions: Who is God? Who made God? Where is Jesus? Where are Adam and Eve? Why did Adam and Eve make a bad choice? (don't we all wish we knew the answer to that one?) Where is heaven? One day at dinner she was asking who God was and Aaron told her that God is the the one who made everything. She sighed and said, "I wish I wasn't made." Feeling a bit alarmed I said, "Why do you say that?" She didn't really have an answer so Aaron asked, "Well where do you wish you were if you weren't made?" Maddy said, "I wish I was in heaven so I wouldn't have to be sick anymore." (We'd been talking about heaven and how we won't be sick or sad when we go there.) Man! Talk about a comment that made us so proud and want to bawl at the same time.
Some of these questions are so annoying and frustrating, but I've been coping with them better lately. I realized answering her questions is a great way to find out kind of where her brain is going and figure out if she understands things. It's been kind of fun and scary to get to help her understand who Jesus is and what he means to us. It has really challenged me to go back and explain the basics of my faith and why I believe what I believe. I remember when I was little a particular conversation with my mom about who made God. By the end I was in tears because I just couldn't understand how God could have always just been there. I was very small because I'm pretty sure this was in Beaumont and I barely remember it. However, I've thought about it a lot lately and it's been comforting to know that I don't have to have all the answers. My mom not being able to explain that to me didn't wreck my faith in the long run. Mostly it's just helped me realize that I just have to steer her toward God and that God is the one who does and will help her understand who he is.
Meanwhile, I will get up tomorrow and answer questions like "Why can't we go to McDonald's?"
"Why's that truck red?" "Why babies can't walk?" "Why did the witch in Ariel make a big storm in the lake?" "Why is it daytime?" "Why you turn this way to go to school?" "Why's my name start with M?"
I'd better get some sleep.
Comments
brittany
And I'm sometimes surprised by the big theology questions - their little minds are really working, and it makes you go back and think over some of the things that after a lifetime of church attendance you've started to take for granted.
Amanda
Now I know why my dad would say stuff like, "just wait and see" or "you'll learn about that later" when I was that age.
It really gets frustrating when they get a little older and will ask questions they fully know the answer to. Looking at a cookie jar full of cookies,
"Daddy, do we have any cookies?"