*Note: when my first son-who is also my first child-was about 6 years old, he became enamored of Pokemon cards. We were living abroad at the time, and all I knew from him was that these were cards you traded, centered around an imaginary world where people caught creatures and exploited them for their own gain. Not wanting to teach my child that this form of self gratification was part of our family make-up, I banned the game. Oh, how parents learn as they become seasoned by raising a family...which battles to pick, which causes to take up, and which child like games to let run their course over the span of 3rd and 4rth grade...
Porter and our next door neighbor, Josh, were riding home from football practice in the back of our car last night. Their conversation did not center around tackling and blocking and throwing-oh no. They were talking intensely, incecently, about Pokemon.
Porter: I was so glad I traded my charmander, cause I was getting so sick of that one. I was trying to evolve him but I 'sucked' at it...man I wanted him to evolve but he just wouldn't and it took so long...
Josh: Dude, you gotta be patient when you want them to evolve. Patient.
Porter: I had to get rid of him and find a guy who could fight right away
Josh: patient Porter. That's how it is with evolving those guys...
Porter: I stunk so bad at it. I tried to evolve another guy and I sucked at that guy too
-sorry for the language-they'd just been with their swearing coaches so I was glad these were not expletives coming from their angel mouths...
Porter: I can't wait to trade a guy again, so I can get a strong one who is ready to go.
Josh: PORTER. You are not hearing me. I SAID, you GOTTA BE PATIENT. DUDE. PATIENT
There was some kind of cosmic wisdom in a child telling another child to give patience to an endeavor of any kind. Especially to Porter. That concept of setting aside what you want in the moment (a guy who can fight, in this case) for what you really want most (and evolved guy in this case) is something Porter has been learning a lot about lately in his nine year old life.
And there was some other kind of wisdom in the whole conversation. As I drove along, listening, I could almost hear myself discussing child rearing with the sage parent of the universe
me: but I want them to evolve. To become. I'm not good at all this waiting. And all the steps you have to go through for them to be what you see they can be; powerful, intelligent, amazing. Maybe its easier if I just make them happy right now. I kind of 'suck' at the evolution of them.
Sage Parent of the Universe: Patience. Darling. Patience. Its all about patience. Do you hear what I am saying? You gotta be patient when it comes to evolution...
'morphing' from someone self centered into someone who is selfless. Evolving from the 'what's in it for me' to the 'what's best for everyone else.' I wonder how much of it really is, as our little neighbor so wisely taught over pokemon cards on the ride home, all about the patience.
No comments:
Post a Comment