Last month, our family decided to have dinner at Epcot. So, after selling my left kidney, we made the journey to the park. In typical Disney fashion, we saw long lines, sunburned faces, crabby parents and kids hyped-up on sugar – it’s the best place to people-watch.
When we arrived at La Crêperie de Paris (she says in her best Pepé Le Pew accent), the restaurant was packed like sardines with hungry patrons. The host sat us next to a party of three; one of which was a petit andouille (that’s an endearing French phrase meaning “little sausage” when referring to kiddos) who was fully decked out with Minnie Mouse garb. Although she was precious, it was apparent that she was very tired. Soon her giggles turned into moans and then a full-out fit of tears. Within two minutes, her mom asked for the check, and they made their way out the door. My hubby and I smiled and laughed as we both cried, “Oh, how we remember those times!” About two minutes later, a little red, tear-soaked face came over to our table and apologized for ruining our dinner. My heart melted! We both thanked her and praised her for being such a brave girl. We continued to watch as she held her mom’s hand, going from table to table, saying she was sorry to the other dinner guests. That little girl doesn’t yet know how these important moments will shape her character and impact her life.
I’ve been so discouraged lately with the overwhelming brutality we have seen splashed all over the news. The unbelievable 250+ mass shootings in less than 200 days. How incredibly tragic.
It doesn’t matter where you stand on gun control. It doesn’t matter your race or economic background; no one is exempt. All over this free country, people are making the choice to respond with deadly violence.
It is so hard to wrap our brain around how this can happen. Some will call these people monsters or pure evil, but what we have to realize is that something (or some things) have happened in their life that began to shape this behavior in them. These are our sons, daughters, neighbors, coworkers and friends. … Now, I realize this is a much deeper subject than this short article can or will address, but the point of the “precious little girl” story was an example of a parent who is trying to instill a sense of right versus wrong behavior – a sense of kindness and thoughtfulness toward others instead of selfishness. The few minutes this mom took to make this dinner at Epcot a teachable moment will affect how this young girl will make decisions in her future.
It seems so rare these days to find the perfect parenting scenario. In fact, I’d bet a great many of us grew up in broken homes. Furthermore, some of us are living that same reality today, which makes it all the more important to invest in our children. To take time every day, even if it’s just a few minutes, to connect with them. To encourage them. To love them. It is something we will never regret.
Charles Swindoll said, “Each day of our lives, we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” It is my goal to make daily positive deposits; I hope you will do the same! Live well, my friends.
