Childish Behavior

Last Friday evening I witnessed something that made me smile, then made me think. The image is still clear in my mind.

I saw a mother letting her two young children out of their car at a playground. There was a boy about age six and a girl about four. The boy ran ahead first. I was able to see the girl's wide eyes and big smile as her mom helped her out of the car.  As soon as her feet hit the ground, she ran toward the swings as fast as her short legs would go! She could barely contain her excitement!

I've been contemplating why that scene made such a big impact on me.
I absolutely love children! But it was more than that. I really think it was about the timing.

That sweet scene distracted me from my pity-party/bad attitude moment. To be honest, I'd been pity-partying with a bad attitude all day.  But when I saw that adorable tot beaming with joyful anticipation, it was contagious! I felt my burdens lifted for a couple of minutes.

I'd left my house a few minutes before that. I was mad at my husband, I was trying to cope with day three of an allergy attack, and I was stressed about other issues too. To top it off, I felt guilty for letting all that nonsense get me down, knowing that other people have real problems.
Get a grip, Woman!

I left the playground scene, but soon started dwelling on my woes again.
But I had a plan!
I ran a couple of errands, then I got a pedicure. What a treat! It had been a year since I'd had one.

Getting away for awhile helped me put things in perspective. Somehow my mood seemed lighter after that.

I've written before about how adults can learn life lessons from kids. After seeing those tots last Friday, I started thinking about how children tend to handle things. These are my observations:
*They tend to get upset easily when things don't go their way,
   but they get over it quickly.
*Children can usually be distracted from their mini-crisis with a treat or a toy. Then the issue is usually forgotten.
*They rarely hold grudges against people.
*When they're sad, hurt or frustrated, they usually go ahead and cry.
*Young kids get very excited about anything new and different, even small things.
*Little ones put their trust in the ones they love and believe that somehow everything will be alright.

Yes, we are adults and must deal with our problems realistically. But my goal is to live by the simplistic guidelines above as often as I can.
I really believe they are good remedies for bad attitudes!

The next time I'm partying all day, I'll try to make it a happy party with an attitude of gratitude!
You're invited to join me and bring as many guests as you can.

(I wrote this story in July 2015.)



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