Mighty Little Kids VBS

This week at Vacation Bible School (henceforth to be known as VBS) we learned about God's creation--the sun, the moon and stars, the oceans, the sea creatures, the land animals and birds. VBS was called "Mighty Little Kids Sports Camp". We had a great time. I was the song leader and helped out the 4 year olds.

My son was one of the four 4 vivacious and sprightly four year olds. He and his partner, we'll call them Elvis and Costello took turns running up and down the steps in the playhouse. Jumping up and down during drama and turning the cardboard boats over on themselves. Together they knocked down the puppet show wall and almost destroyed the dinosaur pit in the corner. Elvis (my son) loudly and ungraciously refused snack each day and fell into a complete and total tantrum just for me in front of God and everybody, because he wanted to go home each day after snack instead of to the last activity. On the second day I had enough. I took him to the children's library across the hall to "yell in a soft voice". When he said he'd rather stay there than rejoin the others, I left him in there--accidentally locking him in. You can imagine how great I looked asking for the master key to get my son out of the library I had locked him in.

Anyway, I say all this as a preface to the real meaning of the message: Don't underestimate what they learn at Bible school. It may seem like an exercise in humilating parenting moments, but it's not. If you're willing to be humbled, you might find a glimmer of grace going on around you.

This afternoon I have drawn about 1000 sea creatures and land animals with sidewalk chalk outside. My son played with his Noah's ark (the Little People version by Fisher Price) for about an hour reconstructing the entire story of the Ark while I made dinner. Periodically, he would break out into song--"the an-mals, dey came by twosy twosy" and "rise and shine and glo-wy-glo-wy chil-den of the Wo-wud." Earlier in the afternoon, while riding his John Deere gator all over the yard, my son was reciting "Herman the Worm." I've never heard it before VBS, but he absolutely loved it. "Dis is a 'peat after me song. Dis is a do what I do song. Sittin' on a fence post. Chewin' my bubba dum. Pway-in wiv my yo-yo. Dooba dooba. When 'long came Herman a Worm. And he was dis big...and what did he eat mommy? Now you say it!" On the way home from VBS I answered about a 100 questions. "What's your fav'rit animal mommy?" "Do you have a fav'rit color?" "What did Herman eat mommy? He was dis big first. Then he burped!" "What was your fav'rit part of Bible School mommy? Do we have Bible School tomorrow? What are we doing tomorrow? Are we makin' 'nother movie? Can we watch the puppet show again? I like being the al'gator" And on and on and on.

Needless to say. I have great faith in Vacation Bible School and my Mighty Little Kid.