So, Priam and I had some time alone yesterday. We had a small situation as we were getting ready for church, and so he and I stayed back while the others went to the church cookout. We had a small talk about why he'd gotten in trouble, but we got things patched up pretty quick.
That's when the fun began. We made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, listened to WOW Top 30 Christian Music Hits, jammed out on some air guitar, and played a board-game. All in all it was a great experience! Some unique time he and I got to spend together that gave us a connection and built trust.
It made me think. You know, I could have hauled his little hiney to church, made him sit through the AWANA meeting (mini rant: really guys?! You expect a bunch of 7-12 year olds to sit through an informational meeting?!), brought him home, have him showered and in bed and still have to deal with his issue. He would have done what I wanted, but at what cost?
One of the other housparents here refers to, what he calls, "shoulder time". That's time a young boy needs to be shoulder to shoulder with a father-figure. Whether it's doing work, cooking a meal, or just goofing off and rockin' a sick air-guitar solo, a boy neds to have time to see what being a man is all about.
And that's what I was able to give Priam yesterday. Some time to be himself around me. Sure, he was missing out on a fun party (and an AWESOME playground), but he was able to take away some small satisfaction of having time with me, with no competition.
So yeah, it was time well spent, and if today ends up being at all as crazy as it looks, it may just have been perfectly timed. But that's a story for tomorrow :)
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