Today I watched all three of my children playing together. Its something all mothers of multiple children dream about. A bright and sunny playroom filled with the beautiful noises of children working together, the energetic buzz of imagination like a collective halo above their rosy, cherubic cheeks. Our first foray into group play was a spontaneous game of ‘baby dinosaur’, a simple drama of which all three were equally capable. They crawled around on all fours, scream-growling in each other’s faces. Giggles and grins all around. I had to leave the room.
It was loud. It was annoying. Worse than fingers on a chalkboard. Worse than being sea sick. With ear plugs I may have been able to stay and watch. But it was still beautiful. Beautiful because the children who can do puzzles and kick soccer balls got on their knees to engage the younger member in the two activities she spends most of her time practicing: crawling and screaming. The satisfaction of making their baby smile and laugh was worth setting aside cognitive abilities and sophisticated interests. And isn’t that was it right about good community? We look for a common denominator and jump in. It might be loud, it might not be fun to watch, but we play with each other in ways that everyone can enjoy. We revel in the connection.
“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4
No comments:
Post a Comment