God made everything

James is learning so much at sunday school. The B-I-B-L-E song, David and Goliath, David and Jonathan, and now, God has made everything. We were talking about this on the way home from church yesterday. I was telling James that God first made light and then darkness, thats why we have morning and nighttime. And that God had made him, his mommy and daddy, sister, grandparents etc. And then we get on the topic of Superheroes...the topic of interest lately. And James realizes God made Hulk, and this is fascinating to him. He giggles.

Also funny, T.A. (the youth pastor) spoke at our church. He was talking briefly about kids, and how he has come to the conclusion that kids do one of two things when you take them out in public. They can make you look like amazing parents, or embarrass you. Remember that.

Sometimes after church we'll stop by the mall to let the kids blow off some steam and run around. The stores are closed and the mall is fairly empty except for those mall walkers....
James was in a pretty whiney mood today, and after the final straw Josh has told him, if you throw one more fit, we are going home....minutes later a fit so we're leaving. James is making the most horrible sounds I've ever heard. At one point he is so angry, he rares back and slaps his sister in the head....great, now 2 screaming kids. Now I had mentioned that the mall was fairly empty, but it seems at this point all the mall visitors are focused on my screaming kids. Josh pulls James aside several times to explain to James why we are leaving. He just can't handle that we're actually leaving the mall.

We make it out to the car in one piece, barely. One final discipline to this 15 min tantrum seems to set James right. Whats leftover is his whimpers and big huffs of breaths, you know when you've cried so hard and you're just trying to get your breath back. Josh and I quietly discuss this as we're driving home. And also giggle over the embarrassment that just ensued. Though honestly I wasn't embarrassed, I would much rather my child be screaming because they didn't get their way. I've also learned that this is a great learning experience. Something similar happened at the playplace months ago. We had only been there, 10 minutes at most. And James badly wanted to play skiball, after telling him 3 times, that we did not come here to play this game, and if he asks one more time we're going home, screaming at me "NO MAMA!" I swiftly pick up James, Scarlett and all our belongings and leave. Has James asked to play those games again? nope. He sweetly points at them and says ball and smiles.

So yes, sometimes embarrassment, but more often its great joy, because he is learning and he is becoming more obedient. God help us.