Struttin' on Sunday ...

The little girls in my Sunday School class paraded in looking like tiny princesses. Two-year old Mary, her face lit with a smile, twirled in a circle to make the folds of her pink dress fan out. Pink ballerina slippers matched her pink dress, pink sweater, pink tights and pink hair bow.

Moments later, Jessi arrived in her ankle length white dress and pink shoes. This little gal isn't much for dressing up, but she sidled up to me and grinned, pointing to the tiny flowers decking her dress. It was a girly-girl moment, and I think the Lord was smiling at the time.

We acted out a scene from the resurrection Sunday story. Mary and her Mommy stood by the "tomb" (an empty spot under a table) and played the part of angels standing guard at the tomb. Others played the part of the women who came to anoint the body of Jesus (though I didn't explain that in detail). As we walked toward the tomb, we chanted, "We're taking perfume to the tomb..."

When we got to the table, we squatted down, looked under it and asked, in surprise, "Where is Jesus?" That's when the angels (disguised in Easter dresses) said, "He's not here... he's alive!" It all went quite well, considering the fact the long dresses kept getting tangled up between little legs. And we heard, more than once, "Wait for me! My shoe came off!"

Unlike folks who come struttin' in to church only on Easter or Christmas, these preschool children are familiar with their classroom, comfortable with church folks who love them and think the world of their preacher, whom they call, "Brudder Phip." What a blessing to see their families teach them that church is more than a once-or-twice-a-year event. Jessi and Mary, Malia and Amy love to sing, quote memory verses, and act out Bible stories.

I suppose struttin' on Sunday is okay if you're two years old with a brand new dress to wear ... and your heart is already at home in church. Just be sure your pink shoes don't come off while you're twirlin' and struttin' ...

He wanted the "whole full" of it ...

I remember the day my three-year-old watched me cut a sandwich before placing half of it on his plate. He looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said, "But I wanted the whole full of it, Momma."

As parents, we are sometimes guilty of giving our children "half a serving" of our time and attention when they actually need the whole full of it. While packing lunches or washing dishes, we listen to them chatter with our backs turned to them. And in doing so, we miss the sparkle in their eyes as they share a new discovery...or the sadness as they realize we're too busy to really listen with the heart.

Okay, maybe we can't turn to face them and neglect dinner on the stove. But a glance in their direction and some eye contact is certainly called for now and then. Without it, we are little more than robotic parents going about our duties with a mechanical nod, expressionless eyes and metallic voices. At least once in the next 24 hours, give your child the attention they desperately need. It means you're really listening and you care.

When parents choose to give their children active attention for even 5 minutes, they've done a great thing. It means the eyes, voice and heart are all connected. And when the parent's heart is connected to the child's heart, good things are bound to happen.

Whether your child is four of fourteen, you'll come away from that moment knowing you gave your honest effort - the whole full of it - to being a great parent in that one brief span of time. The rewards, however, linger much longer.

As we practice this behavior again and again, our children will actually demand less - not more - of our time and attention. The reason? They feel secure, appreciated, valued and loved. And we feel less guilt at brushing them off too easily.

Good parenting isn't a half-hearted effort. It's a "whole-full-of-it" effort with tremendous rewards. Enjoy the journey!