So this recent opportunity…
My family posed for some stock pictures for our local hospital. These will be pictures they can use in their advertising.
Hospital Photo
We arrived color coordinated as a family for our pictures in the morning. The kids were forewarned that not only were these pictures but they may have to do a little acting in them. Not all of us visit the ER or the doctor with big smiles on our faces.
While you can reason to some regard with my two oldest, it is hard to prepare a four year old to what is about to happen.
And the shooting begins. Kid one does well. Perhaps not the best acting skills I’ve seen, but for the first time on the “set” we’ll give it a B.
Kid two is up next. Let’s just say that I won’t be dragging any of my kids out to Hollywood just yet.
And then we come to kid number three. Oh dear. Things start off slow. Number three wonders just why should she smile at said nurse that she doesn’t know. Was there something funny to smile about? Mom has to stand behind the nurse to even get her to look in that direction.
But things get worse. A family shot is taken but they want to finish with number three and a doctor alone, after having the sheltering of the family all around. The doctor is a very gentle and sweet guy but number three wants nothing to do with him.
Begin mommy sweats. I have come completely unprepared to bribe number three. And I’m not even sure what kind of bribery this undertaking would require. Ice cream? Lollipops? A trip to Disney? What could entice my youngest to just even look at the poor doctor?
Number Three
Nothing.
Enter mommy and daddy frustration. What should be a simple task is just not to a child. While the shoot wraps up for our family, I was left feeling all sorts of emotions- frustration, anger, embarrassment. But also grace. There is only so much you can expect out of one too young to understand.
So after we were home and dressed in our uncoordinated clothes, number one and two went off to celebrate their acting debuts. And I was left to explain as best I could why number three did not get to join.
I think she ultimately got the message. But so did I. We both apologized and I figured I had to just let it go. And that is what forgiveness, even for four year olds, is all about.
Meanwhile, I’m not going to be scheduling family pictures anytime soon…
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