Sanctification through motherhood – blueberries & tatoos

Let’s be honest – we all love the stories when kiddos say something embarrassing.  Hearing the parents reactions and their desperate attempts to cover something up.  Or, when they just give into it and laugh at the awkward.  It’s just funny.  Especially when it’s not your sweet child.  But the other day…it was my sweet child.  I’m the awkward parent in the story.

And if you know me…when things get awkward…I talk more.  Talking more makes things more awkward.  Awesome.

(taken of miss thing after getting back in the car)

Just a normal day of grocery shopping.  Sidenote:  Abi, when you read this blog one day, I love grocery shopping with you.  Always have and always will.  One of our favorite activities together.  Anyways…onward.  We had made it through the store and were standing in line waiting to check out.  I noticed that the check-out chic had lots of tattoos…and that’s where my thoughts ended.  Not Abi’s…the tattoos sent her mind a-spinnin’.

Normal conversation – we talked about the dude in front of me who spent $45 dollars on avocados (no joke!) – how my handwriting on the little tie for bulk purchases was so bad (I blamed Nate) – etc.  I was getting my wallet out when Abi (who can be quite shy around strangers) decided to say quite loudly…”Mommy, what does that lady have all over her body.”  Oh no.  “Well, Abi, those are tattoos.”  Keep it simple, right?  “Well, we don’t like them.”  Oh my goodness, what do I say now?  So, I smiled.  And then I kept talking…and talking…and talking.  About why some people have tattoos and how it’s cool when you have something that means so much to you and you want to remember it all the time – and then making random small talk with the lady (and she was so great, telling Abi about some of them), all the while I was making things more awkward.  I know she was so ready to see me go.  She even had to remind me to sign the credit card machine-thing because I was talking so fast and so awkwardly.  Oh my.

We had a conversation in the parking lot about what types of thoughts we keep to ourselves – why it’s always great to have an opinion, but we need to practice wisdom when sharing our opinion.  How did what she said make that lady feel?  What’s a better way to have worded your opinion if you wanted to ask her about her tattoos?  Then, sitting in the car…it’s always good to play my thoughts back in my head.  I often realize that what I try to teach Abi, I frequently practice myself.  I mean we’re all opinionated (some more forth-coming than others!) – but the truth to act in wisdom and in love when sharing those opinions with others is always relevant.  It’s always being worked out.

(and then at home unloadin’ and talking tattoos)

I asked Abi what she would have as a tattoo (reminding her that you get a tattoo if something means SO much to you that you always want its picture with you).  Her response: a blueberry.  Look out 18 year old Abi.