Imitation

I’m the oldest of three girls.  Growing up it annoyed me to no end when my younger sister would follow me around imitating the things that I said or did.  I would complain that she was “copying me” to which my mother would always remind me that “imitation is the highest form of flattery.”  In time I came to realize what that meant, and that often it is true… until you hear the imitation out of someone else’s mouth and you don’t like how it sounds. 

Lately (a) has begun using a lot of phrases that I know he has heard from us.  Most of the time it is hilarious.  He will chime in an “I doubt it!” to a conversation at just the right place to make me giggle, or often tells me “not at the moment.”  Both those are phrases I know he has heard out of my mouth on numerous occasions.  The other day he was sniffing (yes, you read that right-sniffing) several tomatoes in a rack at the grocery, when I asked what he was doing he told me “I sniffin’ dem! Dey smell delicious and tasty!” I’m sure I have described vegetables to him in those terms and not even realized it.

On Saturday morning, (a) followed me out to the garage where we discovered one of our dogs had drug out some boxes and made a bit of a mess.  He is a sweet dog, whom we love, BUT he does have some EXTREMELY annoying habits that I complain about often to (A) as I remind him “He’s YOUR dog, Charlie Brown”…. I made a comment to (a) that we were going to have to clean up the mess and he started announcing “Dat STUPID dog maked a mess!” And continued on and on with the phrase “Dat STUPID dog.”  Ugh… gut check… yes the dog makes me crazy, but the word “stupid” coming out of my son’s mouth broke my heart.  We had a discussion about how we weren’t going to call him that, we could call him “crazy” or “silly”, but Mommy shouldn’t call him “stupid” and you aren’t going to either! 

That afternoon, he and I were outside playing with his sidewalk chalk and I was asking him to draw his shapes.  After each one I would cheer and compliment his effort.  Before long, he handed me the chalk and in MY SAME sing-song, but directive voice HE starting asking ME to draw specific shapes.  And after each one I drew he would cheer for me and tell me I did a “great job!”  I couldn’t help but laugh at what a little parrot he was. 

Later that evening, (a) was busy riding his buckin’ horse (a hoppity-hop style, bouncy, blue, rubber horse) around the rodeo area (his name for our basement living room) when I suggested he needed to take a break from the buckin’ chute to go to the restroom.  He quickly told me “No, I not want to.” I let him know that it wasn’t really a choice, he HAD to stop and take a potty break, to which he responded (with some SERIOUS teenage attitude in his voice!) “Ok, whatever!!”  Ouch!!! Now my Kansas sister happened to be there for the evening as she was traveling  through for work, and she found it wildly funny, me- I was just baffled.  I will admit it was one of those parenting moments where you have to look away and laugh before you begin the discipline, but he was QUICKLY informed that is not how we talk to Mommy.  A 4^th grader tried that just last week… it did not go well for her.  And then Daddy was QUICKLY informed, because a huffy “Ok, whatever!” is often his response when (a)’s negotiations over a situation bring (A) to his frustration breaking point. 

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, until that reflection isn’t so flattering.  I also unfortunately know this won’t be the last time my heart is broken by the reflection of myself that I see in my child.  And so, what I can do, is pray that my reflection will become more and more like that of Christ, so that what he imitates in me, will be an imitation of Jesus.  There’s a song that says “Lord I wanna be just like you, cause he wants to be like me.”  And I want to look at the things he says and does and not only say “Yep, he got that from me!” or “That’s just like his Daddy,” but “That… THAT is like Jesus.”

“Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved Children.” Ephesians 5:1