Little Helpers

My girls absolutely love to help out. Most children do. The most recent events are setting the table, cooking/baking, laundry and cleaning the table after we eat. I think what amazes me most about these little helpers is their enthusiasm to do it. Almost begging to help out!

When it is time to eat, Abi jumps up and says, "Can I help you set the table? What do we do first?" I give her plates first and she takes them over and carefully sets them in each place. Then I hear, "What do we need next?" She then sets out forks and spoons. Then I hear, "How about napkins next!" Out go the napkins. Once everything is ready she sits at the table and asks if there is anything else she can do. Tonight, Amanda was feeling a little left out, apparently. She came into the kitchen, opened up a cabinet, looked around, found a plastic, yellow bowl (matched her plate), pulled it out, said "bowl!" and ran to put it on the table. Once it was there she said, "I did it!" while clapping and smiling. So cute!

Cooking and baking. Abi is really into this these days. Yesterday we made pretzels and she helped knead the dough and shape the pretzels. It was a first for both of us which was so special - I had never made pretzels before either. When we get ready to make something, the first thing I hear is, "How do we start? I know! Let's find a recipe. You can look online." Then once we get our recipe and gather all of our ingredients Abi asks, "what do we put in first?" She asks that about each step and is so excited and enthusiastic about making anything and everything. When Mark got home last night she went through the whole process of making the pretzels, "First we pressed the dough. The we let it rest. then we rolled it out into snakes and made shapes! Then we boiled them and baked them!" I couldn't believe she remembered the whole process. Anything that she gets to mix or crack eggs into she loves! Pancakes, muffins, popovers... you name it. She also likes to help when I make chicken fingers - she gets to shake the bag! Amanda helped with that tonight too. It is so heart-warming to watch how excited and proud they are when they get to help with something like that.

Laundry - this is more Amanda's thing. Abi used to like to "fold" when she was younger. She would pick up something out of the basket and walk around shaking it out. Amanda runs for the washer every time I open the door. Before I can get anything sorted she is on her tip toes putting clothes into the washer. She can't see anything, but she knows if she pushes far enough, the clothes will go in :-)

Cleaning the table. this is also more of Amanda's thing. she got so upset with me the other day because I wouldn't let her have the cloth with the Windex on it to help clean the table! I gave her a cloth with water on it and she got so excited and cleaned the whole table - as much as she could reach. She also like to help me pick up, especially if we sing the clean up song from Dora.

Abi likes to help pick up and put things away too. As we were leaving Mema and Papa's house the other night, she saw that Mema was putting away a little table and chairs. Before we knew it Abi was carrying in a little folding chair too! It was big for her to carry, but she wanted to do it all by herself. "I will be ready in a minute. I just need to take this to my room." How can you rush that? We happily waited.

I am just in awe of the natural tendency toward servanthood in children. I know that children like to be "big" and many think they just want to feel like they are big girls, but I think children are born with a natural sense to help and serve - a heart of compassion. It is fostered and developed through our parenting, but I truly believe they have a God-given gift and tendency toward serving and loving. So many times I wish I could be more like them! I feel like they teach me so much more than I teach them. And I believe God has purposefully planned that as well. To bring our tainted minds, thoughts and actions back to the innocent way we began. My children are constant reminders of how much God loves me, protects me, provides for me and waits for me. It is all in the perspective in which I choose to look at it. More often then I like to admit, I get more frustrated than anything - my patience is so not what it used to be. However, I am going to make a personal goal to really take everything into perspective and look at the big picture. There are lessons for me in every one of these challenges. I know I will fail, but that also is part of the big picture. So, here I go onto another adventure and challenge. Many more will follow, but for now I will aim to stay calm and patient and look at the big picture. BIG breaths........