The Mystery of Children

        Having five children in the house means lots of adventures and excitement. It also means there is always something to do whether it is mopping up spilled juice, vacuuming up a mound of cereal dumped onto the floor, or cleaning off the hand and lips prints all over the living room window. Each child has his own 'treasures' and often times it is hard to find a place to sit when I need a moment to rest my weary feet because all the possible seats are taken over by little bags of favorite Lego sets, stuffed animals, or some other 'toy of the day.' For this reason, as I am cleaning under the cushions or beneath the couch, I often find things that have fallen stray from their owners and have often been the source of stress due to the fact that they were missing. For some odd reason, I wonder why the child could not have gone and done the same job - go looking under the pillows for their missing item - instead of simply following me around and continually asking me if I have seen their missing piece. This remains a mystery to me. 
        Another mystery to me is why children think we will never find out what they did, when they know I am going to come through and do a major cleaning. Take today for instance:  I was taking down my winter village and underneath the cotton snow I found two sets of Vitamin C's, hard as a rock and nasty looking. Did they not know I would eventually take the houses off the shelf and put them away? Maybe they were hoping the vitamins would rot and disappear before I had a chance to find them. 
        And what about the two peanut butter cup wrappers I discovered hidden in the bathroom closet, stuffed between the wall and my storage bin? Maybe they were hoping I would think the little dust bunnies had pulled it inside to build themselves a nest with for the winter!  
        How about the time I found twelve black numbers on top of a dresser? I knew I had seen them before and it only meant one thing - a certain child had pulled the numbers off of an old clock and had plans on making some experiement with them someday. 
        Yes, the way children think is indeed a mystery, but the truth be told is that I was a child once. I thought the ways of a child, did childish things, and did not entirely think things through. I know a little about how a child processes their thoughts. As a Mom, I can see through the eyes that are on the back of my head. Yet, even with their quirks and uncanny ways, they have something that I wish I still had:   a childlike faith. When it comes to our faith, God wants us to be like a child. They hold no baggage from their past, do not have any regrets, and their thinking is pure and innocent. The worldly opinions have not bombarded them with optional views that may sway their individual simple beliefs.  So, before judging that child and telling them, "Don't you know better? Don't you ever think?" Ask yourself what you can learn from their example and be a child again - trusting completely and never worrying about what the future may hold.