Everything is different for everyone, especially for children. Each one has his own strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, fears and dreams. Recently we were at an older playground where they had older equipment--like the kind Dennis and I used to play on when we were in school. Ethan was drawn to it at once because it was different from what he usually sees. It was one of those igloo shaped jungle gyms, and he decided to climb up. When he got to the top, he began to see that it was higher than it seemed, and he began to be afraid. Heights are not Ethan's favorite thing. He wanted to stop, to get down, to not go any further. So, to help Ethan not give up, Dennis climbed right up on the jungle gym with him to encourage him. Then Ander climbed up. Then Chandler climbed up. I yelled words of encouragement from the ground and took photos of this trial of childhood. Eventually, Dennis talked Ethan through his fear, helping him to climb down on his own. Tears and cries for help were interspersed with the words of encouragement from us all, but Ethan made it back to the ground on his own steam. He didn't give up! When he finally touched solid ground again we all cheered.
The sweat pouring from his face and the look of accomplishment in Ethan's eyes--those are the photos I should have taken, but I was overcome by the emotion of the moment and cheering for Ethan conquering his fear. When I looked at these photos today, I was overcome again with emotion. As I looked at them, I knew that they depicted what family is all about. It is about sticking together, encouraging one another through the tough times, and celebrating every accomplishment--big or small. Thank you God for my precious family! And thank you for giving our children a daddy who will walk them through every difficult hurdle.
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