I don’t know if all five year-olds are this way, or if it’s just my son Josh, but boy does that child have a flare for the dramatic! I have come running from the other room to attend to a cry that I’m sure must mean the child has lost a limb only to find that he was just having some frustration putting on his socks. It took me a couple years of trial and error to find a way to help him cope with these intense emotions, but I felt like I finally found a solution. When he was in the midst of a breakdown I started asking him, “What would help you feel better?” It seemed like having him try to find a solution to his problem got him to calm down a little. I’d often suggest a hug, some deep breathing or a glass of water and it seemed to do the trick.
One night a few weeks after we had put this plan in place I was doing dishes when I heard my son approach his dad. He said, “Daddy, I got hurt.” Brian asked, “Are you okay?” To which Josh replied, “Well, pizza would make me feel better. And hamburgers.” You know, I can’t blame the boy for trying.
It did make me think about how I handle pain in my own life. How often instead of taking my sadness or fears to The Lord in prayer do I try to find a distraction so I just don’t have to think about them? I’m probably just like Josh trying to drown my sorrows in pizza and hamburgers or maybe tv and shopping. Don’t I use my hard times as an excuse to do things I know aren’t good for me because hey- it makes me feel better and I’ve earned it, right? I want to be turning to God in times of crisis rather than to earthly pleasures and maybe then it’ll be easier to teach my kids to do the same.