Strategy and six year old’s

Eevie was complaining in our drive to my home, that she did not want to swim in the pool, and she did not want to go to the library, and she did not want to go to the Lego museum exhibit, she just wanted to play with her game.

She just had her sixth birthday and she got a great game that she really wanted to play.

No matter what I said to get her enthusiastic about the things she normally likes to do, nothing seemed to cheer her up.

But when we arrived at my home, she was interested in the new chess game I had found at the thrift store. It was hand carved, and the people on it were cowboys and Indians. It was a lovely set and she was intrigued.

I told her that we would play the game the next morning before her brother got up, and she seemed content with that. I told her that it was important to learn “strategy” and how this game can teach you that. (not surprisingly, with a little help from me the next morning, she beat me at chess haha)

I talked to her about how important I thought it was to have a balance of activities. I explained that even though games are fun, there are still a lot of other fun activities that people need to learn to do if they want to grow up with skills to help them thrive.

As an example, I asked her how it would be, if no one told her what to eat and she could have sugar all the time. I asked her if she thought she would love it or get tired of it. She said that she would only have a little bit. But then I told her that what if she could have ALL she wanted all the time, would it be good for her? I was trying to get her to recognize the importance of being able to limit excess, because there are so many things that are good, (like chicken nuggets, and sweet ice tea, and mac and cheese) and how to have moderation and balance in how we make choices and spend our time, so we can have a full and productive life.

I mentioned how much she seemed to enjoy being at the park where she could make friends with new people, and how that was just as fun to her when she made that choice. I also mentioned how much she liked doing crafts and how she could learn new skills by cutting, pasting and creating new things.

She suddenly decided, along with her brother, that she wanted to go swimming after all.

I took my computer out to the deck so I could watch them swim and also write. They were splashing and having fun when suddenly she wanted me to come swim with them.

“You know Lissy, you have to be able to stop doing something fun and do something else fun if you want to learn to have balance” she said.
“You have already been on that computer a long time” She added with a smile. She was right, and wise to know that there is a LOT of good in this world, and there are many ways to experience this good. We are not limited to having only one way to understand good.

She is only SIX years old…but so smart! And she had been listening to every word! That seems astonishing, but then I thought about how Jesus, at the age of only 12, was astonishing the elders in the temple, so I recognize how children are spiritually perceptive and able to demonstrate spiritual qualities, sometimes better than adults.

She was right, I have been on the computer long enough. Time to play ball in the pool with the kids!