Getting Shots

As the school year approaches, we had to take our two youngest kids in for some shots. It ended up that they both needed 4 shots! Wow. Ragan, who is normally our child who does not respond well to pain, did great and really did not cry. Zac, who wanted so hard to be tough, did not do as well. The nurse misfired on his first shot and hit a small vein which caused a lot of pain and above average bleeding. He let the entire doctor's office know how bad it hurt!

I have to admit that I am not a patient parent at times. I have this subliminal fear that my boy will grow up and be weak. I played sports my entire life. I love football, basketball, golf, baseball, and every other competitive sport. I am a competitor. I do not like to lose. I go over-the-top playing board games. I overreact during ball games. And deep inside I have this fear that my son will not grow up with the same passion and fire that I had. I can say outwardly that I would be okay with that but in reality it scares me. I want him to be tough. I want him to brush it off. I want him to get up and shake it off. I want him to want to play hard and to win.

And for that reason, I am not a very patient parent at times with my son. When Zac got his shots and kept crying and crying, I had to walk away. And then finally I slightly overreacted (my wife would probably omit "slightly") and let him know in a firm way that it was okay to cry but it was not all right to cry loudly and continually.

I am not a very patient and empathetic parent. And I am so glad that God does not parent like me. There are times when I whine and cry and scream and act in a way that would cause earthly dads to simply walk away. But my Heavenly Father never loses patience. He is longsuffering and I know that there are many times when His patience must suffer long on my behalf.

I love Zac more than words can describe. I would die for him. He is my little buddy. He makes me laugh. We have a good time together. He is a little man who is passionate and determined. He is a little barbarian just like his dad. When we take our kids to Disney in 2 weeks, he will ride every ride they let him on and probably get ticked when they prevent him from riding others. He is a little dude. And I am sure he will grow up and be more athletic and tougher than his dad. But sometimes I forget how special he is and I lose my patience with him. And if I, a mere flawed human father, can love my son with the intensity with which I do, how much more does my Heavenly Father love me?