The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
Out of the Mouth of Babies, Part 1
“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD and the fruit of the womb is His reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth.” Psalm 127:3-4
During the past few weeks I have been preparing a packet for each of my children comprised of his/her baby book and health/school records that I still had in storage. I finally found the box when we re-arranged our garage with new shelving. During each of their first years I wrote a sometimes monthly journal of their progress and then I wrote an annual letter for each child’s birthday after one year. These letters include personal growth information, family events, and my personal messages to each one of my children, which I read to the birthday child and then tucked the paper away with his or her baby book. I had planned to give each of the entire packages back to my children a long time ago, but life intervened. Until now.
Among my oldest son’s papers was a non-letter recounting a conversation that took place in my kitchen on a cold, clear December day. I hope you enjoy it:
“How come you’re making biscuits, Mom?”
“I’m not making biscuits, I’m making pie.”
“How come you’re making bread, Mom?”
“I’m not. I’m making pie.”
“How come you’re making pie, Mom?”
“For Daddy’s birthday tomorrow.”
“How come you’re making pie, Mom?”
“For Daddy’s birthday tomorrow. He likes pie instead of cake for his birthday.”
“My birthday cake is in January. How come you’re making pie, Mom?”
“For Daddy’s birthday tomorrow.”
After ten more times, Mom is now making filling for the pie.
“How come you’re putting that in there?”
“It’s corn syrup. I’m measuring it because the recipe calls for it.”
“How come you’re doing that, Mom?”
“Because the recipe calls for it.”
“How come you’re using the honey, Mom.”
“Because I don’t have enough corn syrup.”
“How come you’re using the honey, Mom.”
“Because the recipe calls for it.”
“How come that’s a spoon?”
Mom grabs the boy who is standing on the chair beside her and lovingly, laughing, gently shakes him. He giggles.
“You’re driving me crazy!”
She presses him closer.
“Can you hear my heart beat, Andrew?”
“No.”
“Can you hear it now? It goes boom, boom, boom, boom.”
“Yes.”
“Can I hear your heartbeat?”
Mom puts her ear to his chest and says, “Boom, boom, boom, boom.” She places a pan on a burner and puts butter in it to melt.
“How come you’re going to burn yourself, Mom?”
Andrew will be three in January and remembers things very well, like Mommy burning her fingers badly doing the same thing a week ago.
“I’m not going to burn myself, Andrew; I’m going to use hot pads this time.”
“May I have the taste, Mom?” (In our house, having the taste means to lick the spoon used to mix batter for baked goods.)
“Yes, when I am done.”
“How come the pies aren’t cooking?”
“They are cooking, baking rather.”
“How come the pies are cooking, Mom?”
Trying to be the cool, calm super mom, I’ve avoided this answer until at the end of my creativity for coming up with intelligent answers.
”Just Because.”
Satisfied, Andrew climbs down, puts his chair back at the table, and starts to leave the kitchen. He turns at the door and, in all seriousness, says, “How come you made bread, mom?”
When I read this some thirty-seven years after I wrote it, I was reminded of the shortness of our lives, the fleeting childhood of our precious children who are now parents themselves. It’s exhausting to be a parent and that’s why it’s a traditionally young adult thing to do!
When this little vignette took place, Andrew’s big sister was at school in kindergarten and four-month-old David was taking a nap. The middle child was grabbing at the rare chance to just be with Mom by himself.
Jesus talked about letting the little children come to Him in Luke 18:15-17:
“And they brought unto Him also infants, that He would touch them. But when His disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”
Did these children ask Jesus all sorts of repetitive questions? Did they truly understand that they were in the presence of the King of kings? What quality of being a child was Jesus looking for when He said that entrance into the kingdom of God requires it? And how does that inform our attitudes and behaviors regarding God?
Stay tuned for next week’s devotional, part 2 of “Out of the Mouth of Babies” to join me for an exploration of this concept.
