Jordyn and I got some hang time tonight. We played on the floor, wrestling and then cuddling. I told her stories about when I was a kid, and she laughed like she always does. After I brushed her teeth, I cuddled her on her bed for a few minutes and tried to have a teaching moment.
We talked about Christmas for a minute or two and discussed how it is important because that is when we celebrate Jesus’s birthday. I then asked her if she knew why Easter was important.
“No, sir,” she replied in a sweet little tired voice.
I then asked her if she would ever take a spanking for her little sister. “You know, if your mommy told Chloe that she was going to get a spanking, can you imagine telling your mommy, ‘Mommy, I love Coco so much… it makes me sad when you spank her. Will you give me her spanking?’ Can you imagine telling Mommy that?”
She very quickly told me, “Uh-uh… Coco can get her own spanking.”
I tried to explain how Jesus took our punishment, how he died on the cross so that we could be with God when we died. I went on to explain that Jesus didn’t stay dead… that on the third day, He came back to life. I was doing this very patiently, in four-year-old terms. Seing as I am not much of a children’s minister, I was proud of the job I was doing. (Note: I am better at this than my brother. Matt recently tried to explain the concept of the trinity to a six-year-old and made the kid cry.)
“Daddy, can I ask you a question?” she asked.
I was anxious. My daughter was engaged to the point that she wanted to know more. She had processed all that I was giving her, and now had a question.
“Of course you can, baby. What is it?” I prompted.
“When you were little, did you have a cell phone?”
Sigh.
Funny note about your brother!
Amazing that St Patrick could get the children to understand the Trinity with the shamrock!