And Get On With Your Life Of Doing

Let your feelings flourish, and get on with your life of doing. --Lao Tzu

I had put out fabric scraps in needlepoint hoops along with large gauge needles loaded with yarn. The idea was for our 3 and 4 year-olds to experiment with the concept of pushing the needle through the fabric. It was my first year and I made the rookie mistake of putting the balls of yarn on the table with the rest of the stuff.

Sure enough, like a kitten, Henry got himself tangled up in the yarn and it frustrated him. He yowled and shrieked, fell to his knees, then rolled helplessly on the floor. Parents descended on him and he reveled in their motherly attention by taking it up a notch. Yeah man, Henry was pissed and he wanted the world to know it.

When I banged the drum announcing clean-up time, Henry was still expressing his outrage. Transitions often help a child collect himself, but Henry just kept wailing at the fates.

He cried as he picked up armloads of blocks.

He cried as he put the blocks on the shelf.

He cried as he took his seat on the Circle Time rug.

He cried as he sang our first song.

When I grow up, I hope to be Henry.