I'm not planning on "sharing" this one via Facebook or Buzz, so you, our faithful followers, will be the only ones to see it. Or people who actually peruse our blog - so congrats to you, too.
I had an odd realization the other day. The family we're staying with have five awesome, adorable, very lovable kids. I love kids - I think I always have. And as a teenager, as I realized that I could do good by being a good role model, I tried to be visible in front of younger kids to be a good example - and that's kind of become a habit for me.
But with the family we're staying with, I realized that I may be too old for that. They called us Brother and Sister McQuay (the formal titles used at our church) when we arrived and it took them a couple days of us suggesting they call us by our first names before they changed. Those kids (ranging from ages two to eleven) most likely view me as an adult (hence the official-sounding "Brother" title), so there's no way I can be a good example of a kid. Not even an older kid. I'm married, I have my own kid coming, I have a real job...... ummm yeah. I'm old in their eyes - perhaps on the young end of the spectrum, but old nonetheless.
Certainly, there's good things I can teach them, etc., but my comfortable and well-loved position of being a good role model to kids may be a chapter that sometime in the last several years slipped silently behind me. Farewell. I already miss you.
you can still be a good role model even if you're old, and having them call you "brother" is more respectful than just your first names, unless you come up with another prefix that still teaches them respect:) Trust me, you're not old!
ReplyDeleteLove it. You're older than you've ever been--and now you're even older! (And now you're even older...and now you're even older...)
ReplyDeleteJust thought I'd share that.
I hope you stay a good model for kids until the day you die! You're right, we can't stay kids forever, but just think, now you can be a good role model for grown ups too!
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