Something that I wrote last week; thanks for allowing me to share!

Am I happy?

As foster parents doing ‘respite’ care for ‘real’ foster parents, my husband, Jim, and I call ourselves foster grandparents. Last week a six-year-old bundle of energy stayed overnight at our farm home.

On Saturday morning, we decided to travel to Waverly, an hour plus drive east of our house, to attend the semi-annual driving horse sale. Our little ‘charge’ was enthusiastic with the thought of seeing and petting the animals.

After sitting and watching the horses sell for a period of time, she and I left to go to the pens holding the horses and ponies of various sizes. The three of us agreed to bring some pop back to the selling arena, whenever we returned from the petting venture.

The little gal and I had an enjoyable time touching the beautiful animals of various sizes. Some were miniature ponies. Others were gigantic draft horses. Some were gentle. Others were nervous, so we would move on to another animal that was more cooperative.

Now off to the lunch stand to pick up the pop, return to the sale area, and meet up with Jim.

"What kind of pop would you like?" I asked, as I listed off the possibilities.

"I don’t want pop….I want Cheetos!" she whined. "I want Cheetos!" And her demands continued.

Our own children learned pretty quickly: whining at our house didn’t work. And it wasn’t going to work today. Asking for something from us, might bring a "yes", "no", or maybe a negotiated response. Whining would never bring a positive response.

"We are buying just pop right now," I said.

"No, I want Cheetos," was the response.

"Well, I will bring along an extra cup for you to share my pop," I added.

"I don’t want any pop," she demanded. "I want Cheetos!"

Now we headed back to the busy selling area. All the while we walked, I heard, "I want Cheetos. You have to buy me some Cheetos."

I continued to walk. She continued to remind me what it was I needed to do, but didn’t hesitate to come with me.

The barrage of reminders continued.

"I can’t take her back into the sale area," I thought. "She will drive people sitting around us nuts."

Thankfully, there was a smaller sales arena which is used for weekly livestock auctions, where people sit to eat their meals before returning to watch the horses sell. Some were eating their lunches. Two guys in striped overalls were sitting, talking, and enjoying one another’s company.

It was a perfect area for me and my young charge to sit for a spell.

"I want Cheetos," she continued. "You have to buy me Cheetos!!"

Since I wasn’t going to buy the chips, it was a perfect opportunity for me to pay no attention to what she had to say.

I began to dig in my purse. I retrieved my billfold. I had a nice time reading my driver’s license and studying my pizza coupon booklet.

I looked over at the cute kindergartener; now I saw a tear, caught in an indentation below her right eye.

I said to her, "It is too bad that you are so sad, because I am so happy!"

Her best whining efforts lasted about another 15 seconds and then there was silence. Learning that what she was doing wasn’t working, she moved up higher about four rows and began to enjoy her new vantage point. In a few minutes, she said, "You oughta come up here. You can really see better from here."

"Okay," I said, as I moved my pop, extra cup, license, and coupon book to be near her.

She began to survey her new surroundings and new people. She observed people moving around freely. Some of them kids about her age. "Can I move around here, too?" she asked.

"Sure, you can!" I said. "I just have to always be able to see you!"

And the fun began, she would go from one end of the seating area to another and each time wave at me, beckoning my return wave. Every now and then, she would come back to sit next to me and request "something to give me power", she would say (the pop she didn’t want!) The adventure lasted for more than an hour. She never did get the Cheetos.

As I watched her run, I thought, "God, do I sometimes do that to you? Do I whine, register my disappointment, disillusionment, or get depressed because I want what I want, when I want it? And do you look at me and say simply, ‘I don’t know why you are so said, because I am happy!’ Do you want me to forget what I don’t have and enjoy what I do have and to be happy no matter what is going on in my kingdom? Do you want me to run free and enjoy my surroundings..…and every now and then, wave to make sure that I am still in your view of protection? Do you want me to return to where you are for some of ‘your go power’ so I can ‘go’ again? Help me not to whine, be disappointed, or complain. I want to always remember that you are doing a good job taking care of me, no matter what happens or what direction my life might take!"