If you don't know by now, Brooke and I have a 16-month old daughter named Ava (and one on the way in June named Greta).
It's one of those infant swings where we buckle her in, so there's no way she can fall out of it as long as we use it properly (At least, I think so.)
She also prefers for me to push her from the front, since she can't see me when I stand behind her. It's a little tougher to push from the front, but I do it because I love her (and because she cries if I don't).
The other day, as I was swinging her, she closed her eyes, leaned her head back and smiled as big as I have ever seen her smile. She did that for several minutes. It almost made me cry (which is something I'm much more prone to do now that I have children, for some reason).
She was so happy and secure in that swing. Not a care in the world.
I think it was because she knew that her Daddy was right there. She knew that I was watching over her and that I was going to keep that swing going. She knew that there wasn't anything bad that could happen to her in that moment.
She was at peace.
In contrast to that...
Ava often wants me to swing her on the "big girl swing", which is a regular swing - right beside the other one - with only the rubber seat and the chains to hold on to.
A little later on the same day, we tried the "big girl swing", with Daddy holding her hands onto the chains and swinging her back and forth. Well, I thought I had her.
Until I didn't.
As I swung her back, she slid off of the seat and out of my grasp and fell - face down - onto the grass. She wasn't hurt, but she certainly wasn't "at peace."
She began to cry (it was a slow-building, gradual cry, because I don't think she knew if she was hurt or not) and I picked her up and held her close to me as she recovered. When I put her back down, she walked over slowly to the "big girl swing" and when she got to it, she quickly turned her back, yelled "No!" and ran the opposite direction.
She hasn't wanted back on that swing since.
See, even with Daddy's help, she isn't ready for that swing yet.
I'm grateful to God for giving me my children because I am already learning so many valuable lessons by being around them.
1. God understands us, even though our words & prayers must seem like "baby talk" to Him. Aren't you glad of that?
2. We are at peace, and we are truly secure when we are close to our Heavenly Father; when we realize that He is in control and that He will take care of us; when we are in our proper place and we are watching for His guidance in our lives. It's a great place to be.
3. We get into trouble, though, when we try to do things that we were never meant to do, things that are dangerous, or things that we're not ready for yet. We should realize by now that even God won't stop His children from falling from time to time, so that we can learn which "swings" are safe.
4. A good father doesn't stop his children from making mistakes (he knows that he can't), but he comforts them while they recover, and he helps them learn from those mistakes.
5. I am too big for either one of the swings in my backyard.
What a rip-off.
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