Oh, You Saw That?

Yesterday, I shared with you all that the kids that I work with are rough with toys.  Heavy-handed, if you will.  Sometimes, they do not know their own strength, and other times they are very aware of the power that they possess.  Take for instance an incident that happened just this week.

Therapy looks a lot like play for the children that I work with.  Mainly because children learn so much from play.  I am intentional about not towering over children.  I lower myself so that they feel comfortable with me.  It provides an opportunity for eye contact and makes structured activities seems less intimidating.  After my time on the floor or in my lowered seat, I pull out the computer at the end of the session.  While therapy is important, so is documentation of goal progress.  I give kids time to play freely without my interference.  While they play, I finish writing my note for the session.

I watched one friend in the mirror as I typed his note.  He was blissfully unaware that I was tuned into his play time.  He picked up a bunny that a friend’s son made for me.  He pulled and tugged on the bunny’s arm with all his might.  And the craziest thing happened.  The bunny’s arm snapped right off.  The look of horror on his face was priceless.  What did he expect to happen???  He glanced in my direction and quickly threw the bunny in a basket to hide the evidence.

Although I saw the entire incident, I wanted to know if my little five-year-old friend would tell the truth.  With a calm and friendly voice, I asked him to collect the bunny from the basket and come over to me.  He slowly collected the bunny and the separated arm and nervously approached my desk.  I started with an open-ended question.

“What happened to the bunny?”

***Silence***

“Did you tear his arm off?”

***Head nod***

“Why?”

***Silence***

“I saw you when it happened.  I was hoping you could tell me what made you do it.  I do not like it when you hurt my toys.  Be gentle with my things. Make good choices.”

I was not loud or screaming.  I was disappointed, and I was clear about my expectations.  No time out because we only had about a minute before I took him back to class.  Even with no time out or screaming, the strangest thing happened.  He started to cry.  Which really threw me for a loop.  Until I thought about it.

The times that I have cried the most and felt the most sorrow are the times that I know that I went out of the way to disobey God.  The times that I checked to see if He was still paying attention to me before I stepped out.  Of course, He is always there, but He does not always immediately correct me.  He lets me do what I am doing.  Then He will call me in for a check-up.  He makes me account for my actions.  He reminds me of His expectations.

Well, as usual, I see myself reflected in the lives of the little friends that I am blessed to work with.  I am constantly challenging them to excel. The challenge for me will be rising to meet the expectations of my God.  #wepreach