While giving Kaitlyn a shower, she mentioned how she “really wants to” but rarely gets picked to say the prayer in her class at church.
“How does the teacher decide who to pick?” I asked. “But I always sit quietly, too!” She protested, as if I have already decided she didn’t. “Do you try to be the first one to sit quietly with your hand raised?” I inquired further and that’s when the truth came out.
“No… But Daddy, I don’t get to see some of my friends all the time!” She explained. I don’t doubt she has a hard time paying attention and not talking at church, in kindergarten (and soon 1st grade) and Chinese school. She’s just social like that.
“Well then, don’t complain because you’ve made your choice. No one forced you to do anything.” I said. “You can say that you are hungry and you want to eat and you are tired that you want to sleep, but you simply can’t choose to do both at the same time.”
Knowing that every parent would want their child(ren) understand the importance of prioritizing, I felt the urge to explain further. “Kaitlyn, life is full of situations like this. You can’t have everything you want all at the same time. That’s life.” Hoping to lighten things up, I concluded the sentence with a “sorry-but-there’s-nothing-you-can-do-about-it” grin.
This is when she’s had it. Although a bit distorted and misunderstood, the reality of life finally hit her at the early age of six. Forcing tears out of her eyes, she reacted as though she received the unimaginable news that her father had been hit by an astroid and is paralyzed from the neck down. “LIFE IS SAAAAD…” She said, inconsolably.