Dinner With A 2-Year-Old
Today, after church, we joined several of our paritioners for lunch at a local restaurant. Included in this group was Lisa. She is now raising her two-year-old grandson, and of course he comes with her when she goes out to eat. Lisa previously confided with my wife that she thought the out-to-eat group had been avoiding her. Mostly we do not join them, because I usually want to relax after leading a worship service and feeding my family of five is cost prohibitive, so I really thought she was overreacting. However, today I gained a dose of reality.
We all gathered at a long combination of tables at the back end of the restaurant. I thought it interesting that the senior adults sat at the far end, quite a ways from the rest of us. I sat across from Lisa and her two-year-old grandson. To put it mildly, he was a “mess”. He would not stay in his seat, constantly sliding from his chair and roaming around. Several times he would hurl items across the table, including toys. A couple of times he hit me with a little metal fire truck, which did not feel very good. He complained and cried loudly, and would even slap at his grandmother when she tried to calm him. She thought it would be a good idea to put the kid in the chair next to me. I said nothing, but my thoughts were not nice. I thought that this kid was making my mealtime to be unpleasant. I thought that he needed to be better disciplined. I thought that he is not a very good kid. And, as I was eating my “garbage-burger” (interesting delicacy with lasting effects on the gastric system) I took a few minutes to look more deeply into the matter.
It was not so long ago that my kids were toddlers, and I remembered how sometimes the older folks would stare and scowl. I remembered that it was so very hard to juggle the little one and enjoy a meal, and how refreshing it was when someone would offer assistance instead of silent criticism. I remembered that a two-year-old is by nature living in his own little selfish world, and most of all has to be loved as he works through such stage. How quickly we forget! And I thought about Lisa, a single grandmother in her early fifties, raising two grandchildren. She may not be the most qualified for the job, but it’s hers, like it or not. And, she chooses to be part of our church family. We say we love her- that’s church talk, isn’t it? We give her hugs in the worship service and give the little boy a pat on the head when passing the nursery. I think I know what love would be for this woman. It would be my patience and kindness when the little boy throws his tantrum- without rolled eyes and muted whispers. It would be to play cars with the kid while grandmother eats her meal. It would be to smile and not worry about the distraction.
I talked with my wife. I told her we ought to watch the little boy while Lisa goes out for an evening by herself. My wife said she had a better idea. I can watch the little boy myself, while she and Lisa go out for dinner and a movie. And, I had to open my big mouth.
I’ll bet you know a Lisa.
