Beckett is not super interested in sports. He doesn’t have any “going pro” dreams. Despite being an active and social kid, he’s not interested in joining any teams, at least for today.
He does, however, want to be a cookie maker when he grows up, which I am here for. A Youtube cookie maker, to be exact, because you know, if you’re not attempting to be a basic celebrity apparently it doesn’t count.
He watched a how-to-decorate-a-Grinch-cookie on Youtube before Christmas, and now that’s his dream. He dismissed his initial dream of becoming president, because you need to go to college first, and moving away from home is unappealing to him. We’ll check back on that later...
That was on my mind this week when we read Salt In His Shoes, written by Deloris and Roslyn M. Jordan and illustrated by the phenomenal Kadir Nelson. This book is about the young #23 himself, Michael Jordan, who is being bullied on the basketball court for being too short. He came home one day lamenting to his mom about losing the game because he was not tall enough to get past another player. He asked her how to grow taller.
She smirked, and then advised him to put salt in his shoes every night.
She said, “In order for this to work, the most important things you have to do are be patient and listen to what I tell you, and say your prayers every night.”
Deloris Jordan knew the secret that I forget at least fourteen times a day...that parenting is like 95% letting go of my agenda for their lives and like 5% reminding them to let go of their own agenda.
The books and music and legos and dye-free organic food and chemical-free cleaning products probably all matter. At the end of the day, though, I can’t make him grow taller or make him pay attention in class or make him brave enough to go to college.
Mrs. Jordan knew the other important secret, though. As much as it helps to feel like we’re doing something that benefits lives we have to give our own plans over to whomever or whatever our higher power may be. And, like Mrs. Jordan, teach them to do the same.
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