Spent the morning looking after our granddaughter. She is just over 1 year old and her needs are still quite simple. Feed me when I’m hungry, allow me to sleep when I’m tired and all the rest of the time let me explore the world. Actually they almost sound like human rights. Only sometimes we twist them. Feed me until I am overfull because it’s nice or I’m substituting food for …., allow me to sleep because I’m too sad to face the day, and there’s no way I’m going to explore the world with all it’s possibilities or do anything different today because that is far too scary. Though my life is miserable I’d rather the misery I know than the misery that is surely around the corner if I do something new!
So my prayer is that we allow the toddler within us a bit more leeway. Let me eat when I’m hungry, and stop when I’m satisfied, to sleep when I’m tired because my day was full. And some of it was scary and some of it was boring but on the whole it was ok and is a stepping stone to bigger adventure’s tomorrow.
I’ve just thought of her fourth need. That when it all gets too much, someone will pick her up and cuddle her until she’s ready to go again. And I pray that we get that bit too!
