A Lesson in Disappointment

I've just recently started introducing the shower to my boys. When they take their baths at night, I will turn on the shower head for a few seconds and let the water trickle down on them. They really seem to love it, as they always ask for more "helicopter", (yeah, I have NO idea why they think it's a helicopter, but whatevs).

It's really cute to watch, they start giggling and squirming around the tub, tentatively reaching their little fingers into the stream of water coming from above. Tonight I kept turning the shower on for about 30 seconds, then I would turn it off. Binker would quickly say, "I want shower please!", so I would turn it back on and we would repeat the cycle all over again. After several times of doing this, I finally decided that was enough, and said, "No more shower".

Binker looked up at me and said, "Oh well, that's life. I love you."

My heart melted at the sweet way he shrugged it off.

It got me thinking about how I handle disappointments in my own life. I know when I don't get something I want, or when things don't go my way, I can have a tendency to get mad or frustrated, and think, Why didn't I get what I want?

And while I realize that a lot of the things I may want or hope for are much bigger than simply wanting to watch the shower for a few seconds, I still think that we can learn a lot from children, and their simplistic attitudes toward life, because truly, it's just life. When did I stop saying "Oh well", and instead start brewing over disappointments for days or weeks at a time?

From now on I want to make an honest effort to learn from my children, and follow in their ability to say "Oh well, that's life. I love you", and move on, rather than sitting in self pity.

I mean, this is how Binker lives, and he looks pretty happy, don't you think?