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Just Like Us

If you know my children, you know that movies are an issue in our house.  Convincing our girls to watch a movie can take weeks and more often than not brings them to tears.  The reason: Paige can not handle suspense and Brooklyn wants to be like Paige.  We once made her watch Toy Story and she sobbed through the second half.  (That may qualify as faulty parenting.)  I can count on one hand the number of full length movies she will sit through and most of those were discovered in the last six months. 

So tonight when they both agreed to rent Hotel for Dogs at the Redbox, I was impressed.  Five minutes into the movie Paige was freaking out, but that passed. Towards the end of the movie the dogs are taken away by dog catchers to the pound and I began to hear a whimpering.  As I looked down, I noticed that Brooklyn is shaking and when she turns her little face is wet with alligator tears, lip quivering.  "Why are they going to kill the puppies?" she cries.  In that moment, I couldn't help but hold in a little laugh.  My heart broke for her but all I could think of was a story that had been told so many times.  A story of her daddy, when he was a little boy, sitting in front of Charlotte's Web quietly sobbing. 

As I reflected on that similarity, my mind drifted to all of the other ways our kids take after us.  When Paige was born, Adam's mom stood in front of her tiny bed and was taken back 20 years.  There was no denying she was her daddy's girl.  Brooklyn's loud and incessant talking is no doubt a gift from her mother.  Ask her to throw a ball and you may see a glimpse of me there as well.  Also, I dread watching any movie that doesn't fall in the comedy or romance category.  Wonder where they get it?

The beauty is this, a God who didn't NEED me to create these kids USED me.  He didn't just place them in my belly.  He used two of His children to form three more.  Taking into account our physical characteristics, personality traits, and tendencies. Some days it may feel like more of a punishment than an honor to be raising these unique mixtures of ourselves, but my heart knows it's a privilege.  What an amazing gift!

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