Bla Bla

While trying to get my five year old to express how she was feeling about a separation in her life, she proceeded to cover her ears while saying "Bla, bla, bla, bla."  I lost all eye contact with her and thought "Where did this come from?" "When did she learn to block out what she was not comfortable thinking and talking about?"  Really, she is five - not fifteen!

The Lord has created mankind with all types of emotions both positive and negative.  Our emotions alert us that something uncomfortable is about to happen.  Anxiety!  Although we all experience the feeling of anxiety to some degree, we do not all manage it the same way.  Many times children's anxiety will be expressed in inappropriate behavior.  Yelling, stomping feet, throwing tantrums, hitting, hair pulling, etc. are all signs of anxiety in children because they do not know how to deal with their overwhelming feelings of frustration.

Adults must learn to manage their anxiety in positive ways as well.  Life sends trials our way and suddenly we are kicking, screaming and crying, "Why me Lord?"  Look out if we spend too much time on the mountain top of life, tragedy is sure to come!  Pessimism is a way of life in today's society.  Marriages are stressed, parents think their children were beamed here from another planet, children think their parents are prehistoric, and the whole time Jesus is saying, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) 

Next time you see a child throwing a tantrum, instead of saying "Oh my, that child sure needs...", remember we are all God's children.  Stop and lend a hand and try to understand.