FAILING AT FLOSSING… AND OTHER EXERCISES IN HUMILITY
There are very few degrees of shame that surpass a parent at the pediatric dentist office. Of course we brush twice a day, flossing on the other hand…. I know they need more help but some mornings we barely make it out of the house with both shoes on the right feet. When I had to cancel an upcoming appointment for the kids (due to a legitimate conflict), I was relieved to procrastinate on this exercise in humility for just a little longer.
I feel for the mom in today’s Gospel. She gets a bad rep. She comes off desperate, like the parents who are willing to pay their kids way into an Ivy League school. The other disciples are “indignant”, quick to judge her actions and feel self-righteous that they would never stoop so low. But I do want my kids to be successful, confident, and kind. Right now that desire manifests itself in driving all over to activities, taking them to every science center and history museum we can find, and spending time with people I admire and respect.
As my kids get older, there are more and more opportunities for me to remember that they are not simply “mini me” versions of Jason and me. I can drill spelling words and multiplication tables, but I cannot make the concepts “click” for them. Nor can I measure up to their creativity and ingenuity. Sometimes I am so fearful or coloring outside the lines, that I do not allow myself to really dream. My kids constantly challenge my own measures of success, for myself and for them. Each day is a lesson in humility, as I learn to appreciate them as individuals even more.
But if I am truly being honest with myself, how different am I from the mother in the Gospel? If I saw a chance for my kids to do something radically meaningful with their lives, wouldn’t I be just as desperate to grab that opportunity?
Jen Coito