Why do we always want what the other person has? Why is it that we believe that whatever another person has is so much better than what we have? It seems that this attitude of "the grass is always greener" is something that we are born with. Layton is only 8 months old and he already exhibits this peculiar phenomenon. The kids love to play with Nathan's dominoes and build little houses and forts and other things out of them. Layton also really loves playing with them. Only he generally likes to act more destructively with them than Mandy and Dallin. In order to prevent his destructive nature from inhibiting Mandy's constructive play, I always give him his own little pile of dominoes to play with. However, his dominoes are just not as good as Mandy's.
I sat Layton apart from Mandy with his little hoard of tiles, but within seconds he would drop his bones and fast track it right over to Mandy's and start grabbing hers. We repeated this little exercise over and over. I even put some inside the tin for him to bang around to make some lovely fun noise, but that wasn't good enough either. Only Mandy's tiles would do. Only hers were the epitome of funness. Is it any wonder that it is so difficult for us to overcome the natural man? Because apparently the natural man starts rearing his head even in infancy. I think it is the battle against the natural tendencies that we are born with that makes life so difficult and when we do overcome them, it is what makes life so rewarding and satisfying. I know that so often it is easy for me to give into my selfish nature, but when I make myself forget "ME" then that is usually when I am the happiest.
Being a wife and mother has taught me more about giving up of oneself than any other experience in my life. Even my mission, where I spent all day everyday devoted to sharing the gospel, did not teach me the complete degree of selflessness that is required of motherhood. So thanks little kiddos for helping me work on overcoming my own inherit worldly tendencies and pushing me (really hard) to be a better person.
Why do we always want what the other person has? Why is it that we believe that whatever another person has is so much better than what we have? It seems that this attitude of "the grass is always greener" is something that we are born with. Layton is only 8 months old and he already exhibits this peculiar phenomenon. The kids love to play with Nathan's dominoes and build little houses and forts and other things out of them. Layton also really loves playing with them. Only he generally likes to act more destructively with them than Mandy and Dallin. In order to prevent his destructive nature from inhibiting Mandy's constructive play, I always give him his own little pile of dominoes to play with. However, his dominoes are just not as good as Mandy's. 
I sat Layton apart from Mandy with his little hoard of tiles, but within seconds he would drop his bones and fast track it right over to Mandy's and start grabbing hers. We repeated this little exercise over and over. I even put some inside the tin for him to bang around to make some lovely fun noise, but that wasn't good enough either. Only Mandy's tiles would do. Only hers were the epitome of funness. Is it any wonder that it is so difficult for us to overcome the natural man? Because apparently the natural man starts rearing his head even in infancy. I think it is the battle against the natural tendencies that we are born with that makes life so difficult and when we do overcome them, it is what makes life so rewarding and satisfying. I know that so often it is easy for me to give into my selfish nature, but when I make myself forget "ME" then that is usually when I am the happiest. 
Being a wife and mother has taught me more about giving up of oneself than any other experience in my life. Even my mission, where I spent all day everyday devoted to sharing the gospel, did not teach me the complete degree of selflessness that is required of motherhood. So thanks little kiddos for helping me work on overcoming my own inherit worldly tendencies and pushing me (really hard) to be a better person.
3 comments:
When Little David was about 11 or 12, he and Jim Shuler went to a football camp in Gainsville. David so carefully gathered up plastic cups and broght them home to me....you guessed it -- Gator Cups. Trying to show real appreciation for his gift...I thought of some most appropriate uses for them, and no, I won't tell you. Little David did not go to FSU or UF -- he graduated from Chipola -- an Indian! Love you...Mama
Cute P.J.s!
Now is it really that he wanted the ones mandy had or was it that he already likes to bother her and hear her scream! That's what mine do. They love to make the other one scream because they're taking something from them.
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