Through a child, we can see God
June 11, 2008

by LeRoy the Tramp
Kingdom Klowns of Iowa

Children are important - and I have it on the highest authority - God's Word.

The ninth chapter of Mark, verses 36 and 37, reads:

"Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 'whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me, but Him who sent Me.'"

LuLu and I cherish the time we get to spend with children. Many of the children like spending time with clowns, too. Some of them like the balloons we tie for them, or the small talk we make with them.

"Are you a real clown?" they ask.

"Are you a real kid?" we reply.

That usually gets them going! "Does your nose honk? Where do you get such big shoes? Will you make a balloon for my little sister? Can you come to my birthday party?" And so it goes.

Some children, we can tell, are starved for attention.

I'm not here to point fingers or to enshrine anyone into the Hall of Blame.

But if I can jump-start your brain into generating some positive action, I will have completed my mission with this column.

It's a given that we all have to make a living. And that's getting tougher to do all the time.

But how lucrative of a living do we really need to make?

If you have children, they really don't care whether you're a doctor or a lawyer, or whether you're aspiring to some high calling in the business world.

They care whether you're there for them.

L-O-V-E is spelled T-I-M-E.

And this is about love, not guilt.

So . . . can you slow down enough to schedule some spontaneity with your children?

You won't be parents of young children forever. It only seems that way! No, they'll be grown up and gone from your home.

You'll spend some lonely hours on your porch, starting at stars you forgot were there.

I know. I've been there. I've done that. The t-shirt no longer fits.

It was a circus! Now, it's just an empty lot. It's a very quiet place.

I'm in the twilight of my years and on that desert island of oppressive quiet I just described, I am imagining what I will think about when I am on by deathbed. I already know that it won't be about spending more time in the office chasing after my career, something I once thought was life's really big deal.

Right now, what is important to me is spending more time with children.

I hope, in my final days, I won't regret not having spent more time with them.

Children want you to listen to their stories without having something else on your mind, without rushing mentally to their next scheduled event. And after you physically get to that event, they want you to be there because there's really no other place you would rather be.

Kids are masters of the now. They live in the present. Be willing to learn what they have to teach you.

Children want to be the center of your universe. It's just for a little while. But it's also forever.

Here's is LeRoy's list of some key ways you can show kids that you care about them:

Notice and acknowledge them.
Listen to them.
Give them choices.
Attend their events.
Keep your promises.
Affirm them.
Respect them.
Encourage 'win-win' solutions.
Help them become good at something.
Accept them as they are.
Be available.
Be spontaneous.
Be proud of them and tell them.
Cheer their successes.
Love them no matter what.

LeRoy the Tramp is Keith Brake of Montezuma.