Purple! No - Pink!

We are having our annual meeting at church this weekend - Elder Sonny Pyles from Graham, TX is here and our meeting started last night. As the preacher was getting going, he related a conversation with a young girl from his home church in which she asked him what his favorite color was. While he was talking, Poodle was playing with the locket that I was wearing, and as far as I knew, wasn't paying any attention to anything but that. So, then, Elder Pyles related to us that he answered his young friend "Well, I've never really thought about it. But, I guess my favorite color is purple". He barely got that statement out of his mouth, and Poodle (in her not-quite-church-appropriate whisper) said matter-of-factly "Pink".

I'm not sure what struck me first. That children as little as she are actually capable of listening to the preacher (albeit in short spurts) or how MUCH I am underestimating her abilities.

This makes me think about an issue of mine that I believe I need to work on. I, oftentimes, expect her to do things too quickly. And then, when she can't accomplish a task the first time we try it, I just assume it is something she can't do. (My head knows the foolishness of that, but my knee-jerk overachieving bone gets in the way of logic). The consequence of that is that she gets the wrong kind of parental pressure, I get unnecessarily frustrated, and no one learns anything of any value.

Sitting and listening through church, cooperating while shopping, walking in the neighborhood, playing with other kids - all these kinds of things require the appropriate behavior to be learned thru practice. They can not know what they are supposed to do just by magic. They have to learn. BUT, on the other hand, they have to LEARN. Know what I mean? I need to be more patient on one hand, but on the other hand, I need to have a high standard for what I expect of my monkeys.

Ahhhh - methinks I'm overthinking as usual. But, that's my MO. That's why I married someone who keeps my feet on the ground and helps me talk thru things. God bless him!!!