Playroom Grace

The boys don’t say much
After one of our parties.
Occasionally I hear that
A child is not very well behaved.
They don’t elaborate.

Today, an adult friend did.

We had a guest, age four,
Whose first act on entering
The playroom was to kick
The meticulous piles Isaiah had made
To efficiently rebuild the Lego set
That Caleb had earlier destroyed.

This was not an auspicious beginning.

Jadon did some judicious redirection.
“Those might be a little old for you,
But we have many fun toys you might enjoy.”

Distracted for a time, peace reigned.

The child stood up on the built-in bookshelf
And declared, “I am the strongest of all!”

All ignored him.

Until he threw himself on Jadon’s back unexpectedly,
So that Jadon, overbalanced, fell.
Lego imprint on face, Jadon patiently
Explained to the boy that
We don’t fight in our family.
We try to get along.
After he tried throwing punches, or otherwise
Attacking, the question came up:

“Would you like me to go get your father?”
No, the boy wouldn’t.

“He probably isn’t used to so much sugar,”
Said Isaiah, offering an excuse on the child’s behalf.

Peace returned.

Until the boy decided to punch the baby.
Caleb, happily tossing a toy that another retrieved,
Did not realize he was in danger
Until it was over and he was down.

Jadon could not take it.
He grabbed the boy’s wrists and declared fiercely,
“We do not punch the baby!”
The boy then tripped on a toy and went down.

And got up to get his father.
The father came to figure out what happened,
When a girl guest spoke up.

Beginning with the Legos, she told
And told,
And when she ended with, “And then he punched the baby!”
The father grabbed his son
And left the room.

All this was reported to me by
My friend, who had watched in wonder
As my boys patiently
Redirected, explained, taught, excused, defended …

When they probably wanted to
Pummel.

I don’t think that’s my training.
I think we could say that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Grace in action, by my sons, in our playroom.