Out of the mouths of babes...

This week, Little Man and I were having a conversation.  He was upset because his cousin Maddi has THREE grandpas, and he only has TWO grandpas.  I tried to comfort him by telling him that Daddy and I each only had ONE grandpa left, and he is blessed to have both his grandpas around to love him.  He came back with, "Mommy, this isn't about you and Daddy, this is about me and Maddi!!"

Well, I laughed so hard I barely managed to remain upright, which of course didn't help me convince Little Man of his blessings.  :)  In fact, I began this post simply to share this amusing little anecdote.  But as I began typing, I was reminded of another, somewhat connected anecdote.

Several months ago at cell group, we were talking about listening, and about how sometimes we're so busy thinking of what to say about our own perspective on someone's problem, that we don't even really listen to what the other person is saying.  We coined the phrase that night, "Let me help you with my problem."  What we meant is that so often, we seem to think sharing our own situation is supposed to contribute to the solution to someone else's problem.  Really, we just like talking about ourselves, don't we?  We like hearing our own voices, and we want others to know our own stories, even at the expense of true listening.

So, from the mouth of Little Man, I was reminded once again NOT to try helping others with my problems.  :)  Silence is the first requirement of listening well.

Little Man and his oft-inspired Momma

on a recent ferry trip in the Lake District