My son is a “no” kid when it comes to doing most things outside the house. He likes the routine, familiarity, and control he has at home.
After countless failed attempts at taking him to parks, zoos, aquariums, theme parks, it can be easy to give up trying new things.
And sometimes I do.
The sad thing is, when I do give up, I am unintentionally limiting my kid.
Luckily, I know moms who do not give up and who tirelessly expose their kids new, fun activities.
My friend Lilly is one such friend. She told me about a Home Depot workshop for kids that she planned on attending with her son, Marcus. Then she suggested I take Caleb.
I have to admit, my first thought was wow, that won’t work.
- We will pull into the parking lot and he will refuse to get out of the car.
- Even if he does go inside, he will throw his weight down when he sees the line.
- If there are too many people he will shut down, say “no, thank you!” and ask to go home.
So, in addition to not giving up on her kids, I learned that Lilly also wasn’t going to give up on me. This morning before the workshop began, she started texting me.
She sent information on how to register and a picture of the activity for the day.
So I approached Caleb.
“Caleb, do you want to go to Home Depot and make this?” (I point at a picture of scarecrow napkin holder craft.)
“NO!”
My cell phone dings. Two more photos from Lilly, one of her son Marcus hammering.
“Hey, Caleb, do you want to do construction?” (I show the photo of Marcus with the hammer.)
“Yes!”
He is obsessed with construction right now, but Ray and I were still shocked this reapproach worked. We hurried to get ready before we lost momentum.
We pulled into the Home Depot parking lot.
- Caleb immediately exited the car.
- He waited in line.
- He patiently stood next to his daddy and listened to instructions (in a packed room with fluorescent lighting and loud hammering).
- He completed most of the project.
Success—beyond what I thought possible.
So thanks to Home Depot for offering free projects like this. They had little stations set up with kid-sized tools and goggles and they even give you an apron where you can collect pins for every project your child does. (Go to Home Depot’s website then click DIY workshops for info).
And thanks to my friend Lilly for paving the way and helping to shoehorn this family out of our house today. Now our family has a fond memory of Caleb and his daddy working on a project together.
Lord, help me not to limit myself and my son and to keep persevering. Thanks for friends who model this and for this reminder of your promise in John 10:10—’I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ Amen.