Pump It Up!
When I was young, I was miniscule. I was also very reluctant to try new things. I was, as other children so delightfully put it, a fraidy-cat. This was especially true of food. I hated t
rying new things and so had a menu of maybe six or seven items. My sainted mother even tried the "we're going to sit at this table all night until you try those peas" approach but finally got tired and had to go to bed. I'm still quite picky but my menu has grown incrementally. In the last couple of years alone I've discovered the pleasures of red onions, portobello mushrooms, and sushi. Mmmmm...sushi. Try the Ichi roll with real crab and be sure there's wasabi in your soy sauce.My son, James, is 4 and has all of the eating habits you would expect. Quesedillas, mac and cheese, corn dogs, chicken nuggets and fruit snacks. The boy could live on 'em. He's far too much like his old man when it comes to trying new things. In most cases, he doesn't even like things to look any different. Last night we went to a nice restaurant and he ordered a hot dog. When it came, it was enormous. The dog was cut in half and grilled, then put on a toasted, buttered bun and served with a generous helping of cabin fries. I salivated. He cowered. Literally, the boy screamed and tried to flee. I told him that I would eat it if he didn't want it (that wasn't just Daddy-talk, this thing looked good) but then my own 20 oz. ribeye showed up and he was on his own.
James had been excited all week to go to a birthday party this past Saturday at a place called "Pump It Up." This is a place filled with huge inflatable arenas where kids can bounce, box, joust, slide and engage in a wide variety of tooth-loosening activities. We saw a commercial for it on the telly and talked endlessly about going down that big slide together. The night before, James carefully picked out a pair of socks to wear to bed: one white, one red. Saturday morning dawned and he put on his matching pair. And so mismatched, off we drove to Pump It Up.
He wanted none of it. I went down slides, through obstacle courses, in
to bounce houses alternately making a fool of myself and scaring small children. He spent an hour watching people play air hockey and throwing nerf balls into holes (the kid in the picture isn't James...James is smaller and his left sock was red). I begged, pleaded, carried, threatened, joked, cajoled...to no avail. There would be no big slide.Lisa was a very adventurous kid. She would try anything. James' reticence bothers her even more than me. We want him to embrace new things and to be devil-may-care, but we love him as he is too. We know that he will grow and change and we trust that God is molding him to be who He wants him to be. Still...I wanted to go down that slide together.
Spiritual application section: Those who know me know how frustrated I get with people who can't (won't) throw off their traditionalist, legalistic shackles. I want people to understand God's grace and freedom because it's better for them and much better for the church. My experience with James is teaching me that some people are just afraid. Not everyone, mind you. There are those who think they are brave for keeping the church from changing. But lots of folks just don't want to try new things. God is molding them too.
His will be done. I hope there's a big slide in heaven. There are some people I can't wait to watch go down it the first time.
posted by Thurman8er @ 8:42 AM
8 Comments:
Mmmmmm.... Pepsi.
Good application points. Funny thing about the mismatched socks.
My kids grew to delight in eating anything over $8.99 a pound and up. Hang on while you can.
I would have loved to spend the time at Pump It Up with you.
If your Sushi place has a Continental Roll give it a try . .
or
Spicy Tuna Roll
or
Yellow Tail
or
Salmon Skin
that does it . . . change of dinner plans!
Randy, get the spicy tuna roll deep fried some time. I kid you not. Mmmmmmmm.
Does this mean that one day, Rick will eat something new that I like but he up to that point called "disgusting"?
Maybe?
Please?
Wendy: No.
Stay tuned math brother. It's interesting to see how "school" sometimes changes our kids, especially only children. Perhaps more "kid contact" will inspire James?
Kind of the same effect we hope traditionalists and Legalists experience when they come into constant contact with God's Grace.
It certainly beats constant contact with ryehgeu.
I'm there with you...the big slide in heaven, I mean. Maybe Jesus will join us on the ride! What fun!
Hey, hey - I resemble that remark.
I'll have you know that zgcgikd is the breakfast of elders.
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