Dinner and a Lesson

Tonight as I was making dinner, Little G got on a stool at the counter to help. I had a bowl and spoon already used sitting on the counter and she decided to start stirring. I thought nothing of it as she does this often. However a few seconds later, I noticed that she was pouring some granulated garlic into the bowl! It was in the cupboard right in front of her. Then, she wanted to pour more stuff in. I stopped her before she could pull out a new bottle of something expensive. I gave her an empty spice bottle and told her to use that. She looks at the bottle, looks at me with a confused look, shrugs her shoulders and starts to open the bottle and start pouring. But of course nothing comes out. She hands me the bottle and says, “All gone.” And then opened the cupboard for more things she could add. I scramble to find something almost empty and found the extra cinnamon bottle. She sprinkled that in, stirred, sprinkled some more and then decided the concoction needed something else. – Meanwhile remember, I was making dinner. The potatoes I was chopping up to make loaded mashed potatoes are just sitting there patiently waiting. – She found a basically empty bottle of nutmeg and poured that in. Then after contemplating a few seconds, asked for the salt and pepper. I obliged (at least that stuff is cheep) and let her add a bit. While she stirred everything together I went to finish those patient potatoes. I glance out of the corner of my eye to see her dumping in the almond extract. Oh geesh, this has to stop right now or we aren’t going to eat until next month and I will have to take out a loan just to buy more spices. I redirected her into the bedroom where her kitchen stuff is so I could at least finish the potatoes. Normally I let her stay but this time it was getting expensive.

It was so much fun watching her pretend to do what I do. She knows where everything in the kitchen is because I let her hang out with me while I cook, do dishes, sweep… She was understandably upset with me kicking her out tonight but with all the time we do spend in the kitchen together, she won’t remember after a while.

Kids watch us like hawks learning everything they can about what to do when in certain situations, how to clean, cook. Or alternatively how to sit at the computer all day or watch TV or whatever it is we are doing. They copy us like little Xerox machines. I have noticed this so much more with Little G (probably because I am paying more attention to the little things). She emulates what she sees her Daddy and Mommy do all the time. She doesn’t take her eyes off of us; she doesn’t want to miss anything.

As God’s children, are we like that? I was thinking about it tonight. Do I watch my heavenly Father like a hawk so I can do as he directs. You know the over used phrase, “What would Jesus do?” I am sure I need to ask myself that more often. Now, I do a lot of what Jesus would do already. But how often do I fail to have the right attitude? My action may be right but how is my heart? When my attitude and heart are not in the right place it means I stopped watching. I took my eyes off my Father and didn’t follow His example. How awesome that as I am teaching my kids, my Father is teaching me.

Some verses for thought:
1 Corinthians 13
Galations 5:16-26
Matthew 5:1-12