It's the Great Pumpkin, Parents!

When I watch the Peanuts now, I realize their entire oeuvre is punctuated by an intense sense of sadness brought about by a lack of understanding within one's community.  This is deep stuff, this waiting for pumpkins business.  And the sad little Christmas tree?  While the adults are reduced to indecipherable "wahwah" sounds, the children grapple with almost everything on the menu at the "This Human Experience" cafe.

I suppose this explains why Nora was so upset when she kicked a toy car at me.  While I don't think physical displays of anger are okay, and we had a good talk about how it's okay to be angry at me but that there are other ways she can let me know about it, I deserved it.  See, I wasn't really listening.  We were figuring out a way to tape/tie together with yarn a set of strollers and cars to create a Pretty Pony train.  I wanted to make loops of yarn and connect them by looping them under the wheels.  Nora wanted to tape yarn between each car to attach them.  I told her we would try my idea first, and if it didn't work, we would give her idea a shot.

Enter the projectile car.

Why didn't I just jump right in and try her idea first?  Would it have hurt anything?  No.  In fact, setting aside my idea would have been an excellent example of putting others before yourself.  The idea would have worked, and she would have felt proud of her invention.  But, no.  I had to be an adult.  I had to have all the answers.  I wish there were a "wahwah" function when I fall into the know-it-all routine.  Then Nora wouldn't be submitted to my belief that I actually do have all the best ideas and answers simply because I'm older.

I'm not going to learn a dang thing if I keep this up.  There's a reason Jesus said His kingdom is filled with people like those we see everyday in our own homes, the ones who don't know how to blow their noses yet, but can turn around and teach you more about love than you thought possible.

I will say this:  the train worked great.  Using Nora's idea.  And we set up an entire Pretty Pony village on the living room floor, and we were at peace because I stopped being such a jerk about sharing.  My fifteen minute time out worked wonders.

Side note:  To make up for my bad behavior, I'm going to bake Nora some Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies.  She loves anything with pumpkin in it.  Here's the recipe for those of you who may decide that you get more out of your harvest when you cook it than you do if you cut it up to look like a scary head.

1 c. melted butter
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar (not packed)
1/3 cup pureed pumpkin
1 eg
1 1/3 c. flour
2 c. oatmeal
dried cherries or pecans or raisins
1/2 t. vanilla
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 t. cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 t. baking soda

Mix it up.  Bake cookies at 350 for 10 or so minutes.  Apologize to your daughter for not building the Pretty Pony train the way she suggested the first time.