I was at lunch with a friend earlier today and our kids were playing in the indoor play area running out lots of winter energy. By the time we made it in to the play area, my 4 year old had already made a few friends with some other boys who were there and he was happily running all around with them playing. I paused a moment to watch him, amazed at his social skills as he has no problem jumping right in and playing with anyone! He was running after the other boys, and that is when I saw it..
Saw it and.. heard it. He had his little hand out, little pointy finger pointing forward and sounds coming out of his mouth..
Yep, my sweet, baby faced 4 year old was playing some ‘shooting’ game with his new friends.
Ugh.. my heart dropped.. . Asher doesn’t even know what a gun is.. truly he had no idea what he was doing.. he was only doing what the other boys were doing.. and yet.. it was wrong. So very wrong.
So we talked.. in the playroom as he gazed at the boys playing.. and outside of the playroom where he could focus on what my mothers heart was trying to teach him. And later as I watched him play, there was no more shooting.. from him. Instead I heard.. ‘guys, we need to play nice, let’s save the world!”
The boys continued to play whatever shooting game they were playing.. but my boy stopped. Instead he focused on his sister, or me or the friends we met for lunch… or just playing on the slide. He watched the other boys.. but he did not join in.
He didn’t seem to mind being left out of that play. But someday he’ll mind. Someday, I pray that he chooses to do what is right, even when it means the crowd will carry on and leave him out. And I pray that when that happens, his heart can rejoice because he is following God and not the crowd.. even if he loses friends, or gets ignored, or feels lonely.
I don’t think I like that my kids are growing up..
But I sure am proud of my boy today.. my boy who does not understand what ‘shooting’ people is, or why it is not nice.. but he made a decision to listen to his momma and try to ‘save the world’ instead!
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