“Knowledge increases by sharing, not saving.” – Lyrical
My 6-year-old daughter’s best friend, who is 8-years-old and lives next door, came over this past Sunday with a secret. Here’s how it played out:
Sunday mid-day: “Oh, we’re…. <groan> Never mind. Forget I said anything. It’s nothing bad but I can’t tell you for 3 days.”
Sunday 20 minutes later: I heard her telling my daughter that they are getting a new car and then adding “Well, my dad just said not to tell EVERYONE.”
Monday morning carpool to school: “So I haven’t told ALL the kids on the block.” Then my daughter piped in “Yeah, and my mom doesn’t know.”
Monday evening: My 2-year-old came into the kitchen after playing with his sister and her friend. He ran to me and exclaimed “We have secret!”
Tuesday morning carpool to school: “It’s not too big a deal whether people know or not.”
Wednesday morning carpool to school: “In the new car, we are going to put a towel under my little sister’s seat because you know how messy she is. It should be here today. Or maybe tomorrow.”
Thursday morning carpool to school: “The surprise is going to be here next week.” I asked why it was a surprise now instead of a secret and she replied, “Well, we know it’s coming but not everything about what it’s going to look like so it’s a surprise.”
This must be why we don’t burden our kids with secrets, especially the ones that are heavier to bear!
Surprised By Joy 