Perspective from playtime persnickety

per·snick·et·y/pərˈsnikətē/

Adjective:

Placing too much emphasis on trivial or minor details; fussy. Requiring a particularly precise or careful approach.

My McKye, is all about his "groceries".
It started because I didn't want him dumping the whole bin of fake food when he played "kitchen",
so I bought a litte second hand shopping basket and told him he could "shop" from the bin each day.

It was one of those moment I felt like a pretty smart mom.

Then he decided that little basket of food had to go everywhere with him. Out smarted, again.

"Get in the car McKye! Quick, we got a go!"


"My groceries!"
( he also dumps out my other sorted toy bins so he can put his play cash register in them and carry that around...so much for my brillant idea)



So the other day, I was at the computer and McKye was playing behind me. I, suddenly realizing he wouldn't play like this forever, grabbed my camera and started snapping pictures. 


Taking pictures make me really look at my kids. 


And as I snapped away I realized something. 

He was being soooooooooo particular!

Placing everything just so.

Replacing it if it wasn't right.
Coming up with his little routine of checking it through the till and getting all flustered if he did something "wrong".

I was so struck by it.
Who cares if the grapes didn't beep? But he did.

And that's when (once again) being a parent made me think of Heavenly Father.

How often does He look down at me, as I get fixated on little details of life that really don't matter at all!

As I get caught up in things being just so? Just because I've decided they need to be?

Made me think of Pres. Uchtdorf 

I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way: God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect.Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.
And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does.Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. It’s wonderful that you have strengths. And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses.God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths,¹ but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect,² and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself.

Dear sisters, many of you are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of others. Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with yourself.
In the meantime, be thankful for all the small successes in your home, your family relationships, your education and livelihood, your Church participation and personal improvement. Like the forget-me-nots, these successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him. If you consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss some of life’s sweetest experiences.
For example, insisting that you have a picture-perfect family home evening each week—even though doing so makes you and everyone around you miserable—may not be the best choice. Instead, ask yourself, “What could we do as a family that would be enjoyable and spiritual and bring us closer together?” That family home evening—though it may be modest in scope and execution—may have far more positive long-term results.
Our journey toward perfection is long, but we can find wonder and delight in even the tiniest steps in that journey.

Next time I get stuck on thinking things hafta be just right, or even just my way, especially at the expense of others happiness (or even just time I could spend with those I love), I hope to these pictures will pop in my head and remind me.