Beauty (and importance) is in the Eye (and mind) of the Beholder

A few months ago both Laney and Reuben graduated from preschool. Part of the graduation ceremony includes having each of the graduates walk across the stage (one at a time) to receive their diploma while their picture is displayed on the screen overhead and announces where they will be attending kindergarten and what they hope to be when they grow up.

It is always sweet to hear what the hopes and aspirations of these innocent, naïve five year-olds are. But this year one little girl’s future plans put extra-big smiles on the faces of the audience and one great big collective “Aaawww”. 

Her reply: “When I grow up I want to be a Silver Dollar City Bus Driver”. Now for those of you who don’t know what that means, Silver Dollar City is a family amusement part in Branson, Missouri. Branson is one of the nation’s top vacation destinations, and Silver Dollar City is the top tourist attraction in the area. Anyway…when you drive into the park you are directed to a parking lot from which you can ride an open-air tram to the park’s entrance.  The drivers of these trams are always very welcoming and friendly and usually add a hefty dose of Ozark (corny) humor to the ride. 

All that being said, I think it is safe to that this little girl’s hopes for the future come from a heart and personality that wants to make people smile and feel welcome and cared for. 

Now let’s fast-forward to a couple of weeks ago. My daughter, Elizabeth and I were talking on the phone and she was telling me about Laney’s latest kindergarten ‘adventures’. She told me that the teacher (who, by the way, sounds like she is top-notch) gave each student the opportunity to ‘apply’ for a classroom job. Each student was then interviewed for that position by answering a few questions, including the question of why they wanted to be chosen for that particular job. 

The position Laney applied for was that of DOORKEEPER. As the doorkeeper she would be responsible for holing the door for all her classmates whenever they went in and out of their room or other locations around the school. She must have interviewed well, because when Elizabeth picked her up from school that day, she announced she’d been ‘hired’. 

Curious as to what Laney’s mindset was, Elizabeth asked her why she applied for the position of doorkeeper. Her reply was, “So I can tell all my friends hello and goodbye. I get to talk to everyone.” 

Now if that would have been me back in the day, the whole being able to talk to everyone would have stemmed from the fact that I just liked to talk. I still do, but that’s beside the point. But Laney’s reasoning came from a different and less selfish ‘place’. Laney wants to be able to greet and speak to all her classmates because she is a nurturer. She wants to care for them…do for them. 

The point I want to make is that the adults in the audience smiled and chuckled because all they heard was that the little girl wanted to drive a tram around an amusement park. But that’s not it at all. That little girl wants to spend her life making people feel welcome and happy. And Laney’s choice of being a doorkeeper isn’t about taking the easy way out or getting her ‘Chatty Kathy’ on. She wants to be in a position to make sure everyone gets recognized—that no one goes through the day without being smiled at and spoken to. 

So what some might see as a silly or menial task others see as a way to make a difference. The question is, are you giving your kids the opportunity to do that without making them feel silly? 

Love, 
Momma D

                              Copyright 2018 Darla Noble. No part of this can be used or copied without permission from the author. 

                                                                                                                  

When Funny Isn't Really All That Funny

Have you ever laughed at something-only to realize you were the only one laughing? Or have you ever had one of those ‘I guess you had to be there’ moments when you could hardly speak for laughing while everyone looked at you like you were crazy? So why is that? Is it because we don’t all have the same sense of humor? Is it because sometimes we find humor in things that aren’t really all that funny? Yes and yes. Everybody has their own sense of humor. But there are also times when we laugh at things we shouldn’t. When this happens it is usually because we don’t ‘get it’. We don’t understand what is actually happening.

That’s what happened the other day with four year-old Essie. She was watching “101 Dalmatians” and for some unknown reason, she decided Cruella Deville was funny. Every time Cruella would laugh, Essie would laugh and say, “She’s funny.” She thought Cruella’s hair was ‘crazy’ and even commented it was kind of like mine—black and white. (FYI: I still love her to pieces.) She even thought it was funny when Cruella was yelling at Horace and Jasper. But to top it all off, after watching the movie, she came up to Emma and me with her paintbrush in hand; taking it in and out of her mouth like Cruella does with her cigarette. 

After a surprised chuckle, Emma explained to Essie that Cruella isn’t really very nice or funny—that what she was doing was mean. But Emma didn’t just leave it there. She wanted Essie to realize for herself that Cruella wasn’t funny, so she asked Essie if she thought it was funny to hurt the puppies. Naturally Essie said no; giving Emma just the leverage she needed to make her point. As for the paintbrush/cigarette…Essie didn’t have a clue what that was about. She was just doing it because Cruella did. She is never around anyone who smokes, so telling her that Cruella was doing something that was bad for her body was enough to nip that one in the bud…at least we think so. 

Now before I give you the take-away on this one, I want you to know that I am in NO WAY WHATSOEVER saying I think “101 Dalmatians” should be removed from your kids’ movie selection. It’s a classic…a fantastic movie. I love it! My kids watched over and over again. They had Pongo and Purdy clothes, purses, stuffed animals, and figurines. I even still have some of the 101 Dalmatian tree ornaments that were so popular bac then. So I'll say it again, I have nothing against the movie. It just happened to be what sparked my thoughts for today's blog.

Now the point I want to make is this: As parents and grandparents, we need to be mindful and aware of what our kids are laughing at. We need to know so that we can teach them to discern whether what they are laughing at really is funny…or not. Seeing a classmate trip in the lunch line; sending their tray of food flying through the air is NOT funny. It is embarrassing. Seeing a puppy chase its tale--that's funny. Watching you dad try to do a cartwheel with you is funny. Laughing at your brother’s science project is NOT. 

Teaching your children the difference between funny and not funny is also a lesson in compassion, kindness, and good morals. Now tell me--would you ever have thought you could get all that from Cruella Deville? 

Love,
Momma D

                                         Copyright 2018 Darla Noble. No part of this can be used or copied without permission from the author.