I can still hear the screaming.
I just completed a 1300 mile roadtrip with my kids. I survived but on many occassions I felt like crawling into the back of the van and curling up in the fetal position to suck my thumb. My son is like a piece of luggage. Seriously! You just put him in the van and you hear very little from him unless nature calls. My daughter (who is 2 1/2) on the other hand is more into the “shock and awe” approach to car travel. If Norman Schwarzkopf himself had decided to set of a six pack of hand grenades in the car it couldn’t have been louder than my little girl.
When opinionated meets stubborn you begin to touch on the culture inside that mini-van. “I stuck, I stuck!” is a common phrase that she will announce loudly for 2 hours straight. I understand all the cool, rational parents out there that say things like, “‘Well, you just need to remember who the adult is” or “Don’t give in to her immaturity”. But you weren’t there. I think I’m still suffering from PTSD – “Post-Toddler Stress Disorder”.
I wonder if that is what God hears from us as we travel through life. Screaming and crying because we can’t have our way. “I stuck, I stuck!” because of our life circumstance. It’s a wonder that He hasn’t gotten out of the car already and left us stranded at the rest area to fend for ourselves. Yet He continues to love us even when we become a bunch of screamers.
By the way…I don’t really suck my thumb.
