“Mom, can you take the boys tomorrow evening? We’re having a small dinner party, and we’d like it to be just adults.”
That’s how I came to pick up the grandsons Saturday afternoon. My preference is one boy at a time, but I am cautiously flexible for special occasions.
However, the eight-year old was not happy. His dad had just instructed that they were not to watch The Three Stooges at Grandma’s house, because they escalate into silliness and wildness afterwards. I appreciated my son-in-law’s preventive foresight.
We set off, Alan in a blue funk. “We have never missed The Three Stooges!” he explained, arms folded across his chest. His contribution to conversation, usually bright and imaginative, was totally negative.
At that point I rejected the scenario that the rest of the evening was going to be overshadowed by this heavy and self-hypnotizing reaction to disappointment.
That’s how I came to pick up the grandsons Saturday afternoon. My preference is one boy at a time, but I am cautiously flexible for special occasions.
However, the eight-year old was not happy. His dad had just instructed that they were not to watch The Three Stooges at Grandma’s house, because they escalate into silliness and wildness afterwards. I appreciated my son-in-law’s preventive foresight.
We set off, Alan in a blue funk. “We have never missed The Three Stooges!” he explained, arms folded across his chest. His contribution to conversation, usually bright and imaginative, was totally negative.
At that point I rejected the scenario that the rest of the evening was going to be overshadowed by this heavy and self-hypnotizing reaction to disappointment.
So I prayed for harmony. My prayer went something like this. Dear Father (one way I like to identify God), thank you for being the only Mind here. You are in charge, you are in control, and your ever-present goodness alone sets the tone.
I wasn’t sure how God was going to fix this, but I was sure He/She would.
Finally younger Lee had had enough of the negativity and said bluntly, “Alan, you just want us to feel bad.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yes you do.”
“No I DON'T!”
“Yes YOU DO!”
Here I interrupted. “May I say something? I think what Lee is trying to say is that when one person chooses to be grumpy, it makes it hard for the others to stay happy.”
Silence in the back seat. Then from Alan, “Well why didn’t you tell me?”
From that point, Alan made an honest effort to change his attitude and to be pleasant. By the time we reached home, he was his normal cheery self. The boys played with Legos, and enjoyed each other all evening. Minor differences were quickly worked out on their own.
I am learning to really appreciate the power of prayer and its role in grand-parenting!
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