Update on Friends

Josiah has been making progress with his neighbor friends. The girls are now at times coming over to ask if he can play. And yes, a mom can make a difference. I've been trying to reach out to their mothers with my five words of Spanish. This seems to have made an impact on the little girls who are appreciating my efforts even though they have to translate for us. :-)

Our older friend who is over more is still a challenge at times, but I've been able to help him with a few small things here and there. God keeps reminding me that I have a fantastic opportunity to help love and shape a young boy into all that God is desiring for him. My struggle is that my little boy thinks the sun rises and sets with his friend. This nine year old could get angry with him a million times over, and Josiah would never notice.

Lord, may my little boy open his arms to all and share your love with everyone in need.

Do You Want to Be My Friend?

My sweet boy is one of the most social children I know. Maybe it's from being born into our ministry of hospitality or just his personality in general. He will invite anyone and everyone over to our house, especially if they are a kid.

Since we moved to the new place, he gets very excited whenever he sees other kids. One such friend is a nine-year old boy who, being bored at home, comes over six out of seven days of the week. Mommy's patience with this friend is not always great, but I keep praying that God will show me how to love this little boy who seeks out our home as a safe refuge in spite of having to play with a three year old.

The other side of the spectrum is four little Hispanic girls who live just a few apartments down. Josiah is thrilled when he sees them, and since he doesn't know their names, he just yells, "GIRLS! Hey, girls! You want to play with me?" as loud as he can.

They are fickle in whether they want to play or not. Sometimes they are busy doing girl things, and run away from Josiah. One such time this week broke Mommy's heart. I could tell they weren't interested, but Josiah just wasn't getting the picture. Finally when they blatantly said "No, we don't want to play with you," he came running over to me crying. He just couldn't understand why they didn't want to play with him.

Even the times they do say yes, they seem to have to be coaxed to play with Josiah. Not so, him. Maybe it's an age thing. I've seen him react that way to 2 year-olds, but he is often quite sweet and happy to play near babies and others.

So my Mommy dilemma is how do I help him understand and yet not follow these patterns himself? I suppose helping him put his feelings into words and then reminding him of those feelings when others come around, is the best way. One side thing I'd like him to learn is how to speak Spanish. Most importantly, I want my boy to be one of the most loving, open and kind people ever. Maybe a good way to say it, is I want him to be Christ-like as he grows.

If there are any parents who read this post and have ideas, please send them my way.