Fat People

Children certainly can over generalize. Christmas eve I was working on a craft with Mackenzie and having found my voice after three weeks with a cough, I was singing snippets of Christmas songs and driving Kenzie nuts. Out of the blue, as only Kenzie can do, she asked me, "Mom, why is it that fat people can sing?" Of course I had to ask what she meant by that, "because you can sing so well." I wasn't sure if I should be insulted or not. If I accepted the compliment as truth, I would also have to accept her unintended insult as the truth I know it to be. It's an odd world where it is far easier to accept insults (or even constructive criticism) as truth rather than to accept the compliments as equal truth and not shrug them off. However, out of the mouth of babes, she was just calling a spade a spade and saying it like it is.

What Christmas is All About

Our church set up a children's Christmas store three years ago. It is a big hit with the children because they can buy gifts for others on their own. It is a real sense of empowerment and an ego booster for them. Everything is marked under one dollar and no adults/parents are allowed inside of the store. Mackenzie took advantage of this the most out of the two girls and bought something every week the store was open. Both girls even wrapped gifts for other shoppers in the wrapping room. Christmas eve we had a Santa representative participate in a drama explaining that Santa reminds us of the magi who gave the baby Jesus gifts (of gold, frankencense and myrr); to encourage us to give rather than to receive. The puppet show hinted at it as well; that Christmas definately isn't about reindeer. Christmas eve while I was tucking Kenzie into bed, she lay back with her hands behind her head and said, "Mommy, I feel badly. Because I'm excited thinking about the gifts I'm going to get." I assured her that it was okay, especailly as a child, that receiving gifts is exciting and that she certainly had the idea of giving to others. She bought soemthing for everyone; regardless of whose pocket the funding came from. It's good to know that the messages we want to pass on are being absorbed even when we think no one is paying attention.