The Stare Down

I think it's safe to say, we all understand how capable little children are of holding still. And so, I invite you to open your imaginations, allow your creative juices to flow, and envision the following story.

How's that for a dramatic introduction.

One night, as my husband and I tried to turn the volume and activity level on our children down to manageable, we did the best we could with what we got and settled down for family prayer.

My ever so dramatic daughter, who was then five-years old, had settled into her very best pout mode.  Eyebrows scrunched, nose pinched, lower lip pushed so far forward it could have been mistaken for one that had an overdose of botox.

Once my husband started praying, I opened my eyes to inspect the current activity level of my children. But I got no farther than Savannah. She sat there like a statue, in all her pouting glory, eyes fixed upon me, unblinking, staring.

And like any good mother trying to maintain the spirit of reverence, I decided the best way to get her to close her eyes would be to Stare. Her. Down!

And so it started. About 30 seconds into the stare down, she did something I didn't expect. Something I don't think I could have mentally made up.

Without blinking or changing her facial expression in any way, she brought two of her fingers up to her eyes, pointing at them. Then she proceeded to turn them and point them at me in the universal, "I'm watching you" finger point.

And like any good mother trying to maintain the spirit of reverence, who was just surprised beyond all belief, I buried my head behind the baby's and choked on my own laughter.

She totally won the stare down.

Serene is a mom of four kids with baby five on the way! She does her best to set a good example for them but confesses to often breaking down into laughter during family prayer. She blogs over at Serene is my name, not my life! She is also a freelance artist so be sure to view her Portfolio Page.









*second image from google