A Most Determined Child

By Bill Mason (April 2009 )

Children are almost always one step ahead of their parents. Why this should be, however, is a mystery to me; after all, we were once young — and surely we remember …

 … Well, maybe … Come to think of it, most adults were practically perfect as children. Just ask any adult.

Indeed, we often find ourselves asking what Harry MacAfee, Kim’s father in Bye Bye Birdie, asked when he sang, “Why can’t they be like we were, perfect in every way? What’s the matter with kids today?”

And it’s even more irritating when they outsmart us — which leads me to a true story told by a grandparent about her daughter.

As a young girl, Sue was always one step ahead of everyone else, including her mother. Like most children, Sue was always thinking and the fact that she was bright only added to her capacity to think “outside the box” — an admirable trait unless you’re the parent who must anticipate what’s coming.

On one particular day mom entered Sue’s bedroom, where she observed a rather large mess:  All of Sue’s toys were on the floor, and in considerable disarray. Mom was not pleased; not only was the room a mess, but this was fast becoming a pattern. Mom told Sue she would return in 20 minutes, by which time Sue had better have cleaned up the mess by placing all of her toys on the appropriate shelves. If, when mom returned, the toys were not where they were supposed to be, all of the toys would be placed in the trash to be thrown out.

As promised, mom returned after 20 minutes. But she was not prepared for what she saw. Sue had carefully placed each toy on the shelf in its appropriate place — however, she had also cleaned out every single dresser drawer, and the closet, removing every article of clothing, and had thrown each item on the floor.

As mom looked toward Sue, Sue was sitting on the bed. As their eyes met, Sue’s expression said it all: “Okay. Go ahead, mom. Throw them out.”

Now I don’t know what mom did, but if she’s like most of us, she did the only three things that could be done in such a situation: acknowledge getting outwitted by a kid, have a long, hard laugh, and remember that most of them grow up just fine. After all, kids are a little messy: It goes with the territory.

As for the clothes on the floor — I’m equally certain that mom helped Sue put the clothes back where they belonged … and, in the process, gave her daughter the one experience — the one gift — no child can do without: the demonstration and assurance of a parent’s love.