Touchdowns

Sam (8 years old) came down for church this morning dressed in shorts. I really didn't mind. The kid loves wearing shorts and as long as he wasn't going to argue about going to church, I certainly wasn't going to argue over a pair of shorts vs. a pair of pants. However, I gathered that he's not supposed to wear shorts based on his immediate response to seeing me.
"Well, Alison, I should get to wear shorts because it's the same as what you're wearing. Your dress only comes down to your knees. So, basically, it's like you're wearing shorts." I had to laugh. My hope for him is to know a living God, not a dress code. We got in the car.

This afternoon I played football with Sam and his neighbor friend. I must say, I was pretty proud to hear Sam announce to his friend, "Alison can throw a spiral." Yessssss. I got to play quarterback for both teams, thank you very much.

It's strange to see how differently children grow up. Just in terms of money, even. Brigid is concerned about how much everything costs. She is aware of money. She doesn't ask for chips with her sandwich without asking my permission first. And then, there's Sam. He's grown up with everything. He throws away a half-eaten icecream cone without a second thought. Sam drinks bottled water. And neither child is bad or wrong, just different. I get to spend a fair amount of time with children from different families. My nephews, Brigid, Sam, Charlie. It's like getting to be a life-size fly on the wall. I get to observe these families and how they interact. I get to see the values instilled and the routines. I like observing.