Not tread on child

Dear parent,

 

RantWoman is really not in a position to evaluate your parenting one way or another. RantWoman simply does not want to walk on your child when he or she is seated in a path where more people than just RantWoman might also be trying to walk. When RantWoman suggests, maybe even in a really tired voice that moving out of the way would be very helpful, really appreciated…, RantWoman is expressing great trust and confidence that your child can and will do what is asked. RantWoman apologizes if that does not sound like what came out of her mouth.

 

RantWoman will try to remember next year to offer to the Children’s program to come talk about vision loss and generally being aware of other people on sidewalks. RantWoman will do the best she can to make this be positive and fun for everyone. But please note it has taken RantWoman a LONG time to be willing to speak.

 

Please hold continually needed speaking in the Light. Think of it as continuing revelation, and I will also hold all the other dimensions of parenting as well.

 

Sincerely,

RantWoman

 

 

 

The longer version, with thanks to a 5-year-old at an Annual session plenary insisting in a 5-year-old way that worship is IMPORTANT.

RantWoman is still getting this blind person thing down. And RantWoman is not a Quaker because she is any good at this peace and love stuff; RantWoman is a Quaker because she needs all the help she can get. Furthermore, RantWoman draws great spiritual nurture from people much older than she who also still do not have things figured out. RantWoman does not promise this automatically makes things any easier for everyone.

Here RantWoman must share a story from her own Meeting with a plea to hold one Friend in the Light because RantWoman herself can barely speak to this person. One week last fall, the number of exuberant children was particularly large and many of them new to the Meeting. RantWoman’s nerves were jangled by other things and RantWoman did not want to share the jangling about things that cannot be fixed, only held in the Light. As with the child mentioned above, RantWoman both figured the children involved can grow and did not want to walk on loose kids while they grow. So RantWoman duly emailed numerous topical people asking for help. One of the first replies, PLESE hold the sender in the Light,  was the ever so helpful and welcoming suggestion that RantWoman go find someplace to worship where there are not children. BLESSEDLY, a try-again email and others' voices emerged as well!

RantWoman and God have an understanding. RantWoman will ride one bus to Meeting for Worship. That standard gets RantWoman to any of the three unprogrammed Meetings in Seattle plus or minus a walk or a shorter two-bus routing in one case. Fortunately for the future of the Religious Society of Friends ALL of these Meetings have children! Plus, RantWoman really digs being Auntie and tends to assume that parents and children need a whole village anyway, though RantWoman supposes readers a little bit get to take their chances on which of the RantWoman Auntie personae show up at any given moment. Bottom line: Sensible Auntie really, really does not want to walk on small children and encourages everyone to be aware of the concern!