A Lesson Learned in the Hundred-Acre Wood

(wow, this ended up being a lot longer than it seemed in the five minutes I thought of it!)

Miranda and Benjamin were watching The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh while I prepared lunch today and I caught myself listening to the story from the kitchen. They were at the part where Tigger and Roo get stuck in the tree from bouncing too high. As I listened my overactive brain (can't even let my cook in peace!) started noticing how this particular scenario has been played out over and over with children and "big people".

Everyone knows that Tigger irritates the heck out of Rabbit, I think mostly because he just can't understand him.

He asks, "Why don't you ever stop bouncing?!"

Tigger's reply, "Why? That's what Tiggers do the best!"

Tigger has just as hard a time understanding why Rabbit is so picky about his garden. "Obsessive compulsive" is probably a little over his head.

Of course one day his penchant for bouncing gets Tigger in trouble and although Roo falls safely down to the others Tigger is too afraid to try.
And what does Rabbit do but take advantage of his weakness and manipulate him into promising never to bounce again if they help him down. Once Tigger is on the ground however he forgets his promise and naturally wants to express his relief by jumping for joy. Rabbit demands that he honor his promise and Tigger is cast into despondency. The vibrancy completely out of him he shuffles away, head down and shoulders drooping.

The other animals start to feel bad because they liked "the old, bouncy Tigger". Then comes the important part: Rabbit realizes that by taking away Tigger's bounce he's taken away a part of Tigger himself and he admits he liked the old Tigger better too.

In the middle of his subsequent happy dance full of bounces Tigger grabs Rabbit and says, "Come on Rabbit, let's you and me bounce!"

Rabbit is astonished. "Good heavens! Me bounce?"
"Why, certainly! Look, you've got the feet for it." Tigger tells him.
"Come on, try it. It makes ya feel just grrreat!"

And Rabbit finds that it does indeed feel great to bounce.

All those times when Tigger was annoying him with his useless bouncing Rabbit could have been enjoying the experience with him. It didn't really bother Tigger that it got on his nerves it just made Rabbit himself more and more irritable.

Do you see how this mirrors our relationships with children? So many times kids annoy us they aren't really doing anything wrong, just something we personally don't like. We don't have any good reason why it bothers us but since we are in authority we can make them stop. We make them change who they are so that it is more convenient for us.

How much are we missing out on because we're too busy hoeing the garden to stop and enjoy life a little? I've decided to try bouncing with them for a change.

[I caught myself earlier this morning reminding Eliana to "act her age" and resolved to put a note on the fridge reminding myself that if a child is acting in a certain way then that is something kids their age do…Very obvious but easily overlooked. Plus I think we get hooked on these easy things to say without really realizing they aren't logical.]