How My Kids Taught Me To Embrace My Weird

Every now and then we have a MORNING. A MORNING is different than a regular morning. On a regular morning things flow fairly smoothly. The kids eat, lunches and backpacks are packed, everyone is wearing clothes when they walk out the door – basically it’s a success. A MORNING looks very different. When we have a MORNING, something goes awry. Maybe we slept through our alarm and everyone is rushing around to get ready on time. Or perhaps the tennis shoes needed for PE are still wet from the puddle jumping the day before, so we have an emergency session with the clothes and hair dryers. Whatever it is, it throws things off just enough that there’s a bit of extra tension as we’re starting our day.

This morning was one of those. A MORNING. Nothing catastrophic happened; it was just one of those times that my daughter was embracing her weird.

See if you can picture this.

Me: Girls, pack your lunches and your folders in your backpacks (gesture to table where we keep the backpacks).

Both girls grab their lunchboxes and walk to the table to put them in their backpacks.

A few minutes later it’s time to go to the bus stop.

Aaron: Alright girls, grab your bags and go to the door….Sydney, where’s your backpack? It’s time to go.

At this point Sydney is walking around in circles in the living room singing into a microphone that she can’t find her backpack.

Aaron: Sydney, get your backpack, it’s time to go!

Sydney: (Still walking in circles in the living room and singing into the microphone). I can’t find it!

Me: It’s on the table, next to your folder that you didn’t put in your bag yet.

Sydney: What table?

Aaron and I glance at each other and share a look. You know the one – that baffled, slightly frustrated, somewhat amused look that parents share when their kids are being weird.  It’s usually accompanied by a head shake, shoulder shrug and the phrase, “she gets this from you.” Whoever says it first is automatically exempt from the weird gene that the kid is exhibiting at the time. (Don’t look at me, I didn’t make up the rules.)

While it’s true that I get a bit frustrated at times with my kids’ weirdness, I’ve come to realize that I’d much rather them be a little “weird,” than be what the world views as normal. I’d much rather have my kids running around playing Moses and the parting of the Red Sea or trying to draw a hopscotch path on my wood floor than watch them play with Bratz dolls. With the way the culture seems to be moving these days, I much prefer them to be counter-culture, even if it does make it harder for them to fit in sometimes.

So in this family we’re going to embrace our weird. We’re going to be much more concerned with how we treat others than how the world treats us. We’re going to stand up for the underdog even if that’s the unpopular choice. We’re going to be silly when we want to be silly, speak up when we know we’re right, and wear the superman cape to the grocery store if it makes us happy.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  Romans 12:2 (ESV)

I found a video on my phone after letting the girls play with it while I was getting some work done in a house we’re trying to sell.  I think it sums up pretty well how Syd feels about her weird. If you’re interested in seeing it, you can check it out on my Facebook page.