Random Pensées

Wisdom from the Girl Child

The Girl Child is about six and three quarters at this point. Keep that in mind as you read the following. What is clear to me is that I really need to spend more time listenting to her.

We were returning to the house Friday night after Kol Nidre services. I brought the Girl Child and the Boy Child with me. Kol Nidre is an interesting service, if you were wondering. It is the point in the repentance cycle in which you ask G-d to release you from all the promises and bargains you struck with him during the year and which you were unable to fulfill. It is a nifty little concept. Anyway, we were driving home, me, the kids, and my parents and we got to talking about repentance and the Girl Child asked what that was:

My Father: To repent is tell G-d that you are really, really sorry and to ask him to forgive you.

My Mother: And you also tell G-d that you will never do it again.

Me: Or at least, that you will try to never do it again.

GC: Right, that makes more sense. I mean, nobody’s perfect and people do make mistakes.

Indeed.

The second lesson I learned from my daughter this weekend came during the football game late Sunday afternoon. We don’t watch a lot of television in our house but I do like the occasional game, especially early in the season when, in theory, everyone is tied for first place. The Girl Child was sitting to watch a little with me when a commercial came on and I promptly muted it. The problem is, you see, that the Girl Child can read and this is what happened next:

GC: “Life takes Visa”? No, it doesn’t. That’s so wrong.

Me: Oh? What does life take?

GC: Life takes love.

I was a little humbled by that. Such a simple answer but such a significant truth. I cannot help but think that if that is her view of things, my wife and I cannot be doing as bad a job with her as I feared.

Posted by Random Penseur at September 24, 2007 08:11 AM | TrackBack