Calvin's Prayer

Calvin composes amazing prayers.  The average listener might be tempted to reprimand him for being silly when he talks to God.  But if take to time to see things from his perspective, you'll understand his prayers are as sincere and serious as his little boy mind knows how to make them.  I delight in listening to him pray each night.

Tonight, one phrase in Calvin's prayer was, "...and help Violet not to touch crabs..."  I thought for sure he was just being silly.  After the prayer I asked him in a neutral way, why he prayed for Violet not to touch crabs.  He said, very seriously, that he prayed for that so Violet wouldn't get pinched by a crab.  Later I told Maria about this and she mentioned that they had watched a Milo and Otis movie today and a little cat was poking at a crab and the crab pinched the cats paw.  So, Calvin had learned something today - he had learned that crabs pinch.  So, naturally, he prayed for Violet, who he loves so much, that she wouldn't touch crabs so she'd be safe from being pinched.  Boy, am I glad I chose to enquire, rather than reprimand.

Tonight he also asked God to help Porcupines and thanked God for lamps.  It was right in-line with other nights when he has thanked God for boxes and prayed that bugs would not get killed and so on.  Calvin talks to God in sweet sincerity about his little sphere of understanding of the world, wrapped in his kind-heartedness.  I love that little boy.

Thank you, God, for the privilege of getting glimpses of life through the eyes of my children.

Dave