Why?

“I don’t want to do this.” (Tot stamping foot) “Well, I’m sorry that you don’t want to, but you are going to.” (Nana with hands on hip) “Why do children have to do what they don’t want to do?” (Tot with lip sticking out) “Because……..” (Nana at a loss for words)

Why DO we have to do what we don’t want to do? (The trouble with getting older is your mind likes to take rabbit trails instead of staying focused on the conversation/task at hand.) As I was having this discussion with Tot, I began to question why we do the things we don’t want to do. We have all heard the reason, “It builds character.” (yeah, I never bought that one either.) Or “because I said so.” (That one always chapped my hide.)
So, I trailed off trying to offer Tot a different answer. Then it hit.

“Tot what does a refrigerator do?” She said, “It keeps food cold.” I asked, “What does a stove do?” “Nana…silly Nana, it makes food hot.” I told her that she was absolutely right. Then I asked her if a refrigerator could make food hot. “NO, Nana. It can’t.”

We went on to talk about how refrigerators were made just for making things cold. Stoves were only made to make things hot and God made children to obey their parents. It was their job to listen, to obey, and to learn while it was the parent’s job to teach them and help them become good grown ups. God made us that way.

Tot and I talked about how it was hard to be good. It was hard to do our job and to not be grumpy or mad. We hugged each other and she looked me in the eyes and said, “Nana. God is wealwy, wealwy, special. He wobes us vewy, vewy much and I wobe him too.”
Yeah. I know. Out of the mouths of babes.