Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Cedars and Sandhills

Home
Family, Parenting and Religion
Clicking Parties and Other Milestones

Clicking Parties and Other Milestones

Last updated on: January 14, 2013 at 6:01 pm by Zeke Pipher

Clicking Parties and Other Milestones 2013-01-14T18:01:06-07:00 Zeke Pipher

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Our youngest daughter, Claire, has had a hard time learning to read. Our first two children took to books like honeybees to flowers, but their sister has had a harder time locating the nectar.

Awhile back, my wife, Jamie, told Claire: “If you stick with it and work hard, there will come a time that reading will just click for you.”

That statement ignited hope in Claire, and clearly stuck in her mind all day – that night before bed, she said, “Mom, I can’t wait for that clicking to happen. Will I actually hear a clicking noise in my head when it does?”

Even without the promise of an audible noise, Claire, for several months, has remained committed to the goal. Everyone in the family has cheered her on. And there’s so much to cheer – I’ve seen few people work harder and stick to a goal more fervently than my seven-year-old rock star. I’ve watched her wipe frustrated tears from her cheeks as she sounded out one word after another…without putting the book down.

Fast forward to today…when “the click” entered the building. I went home for lunch and Claire was waiting by the door, biting her bottom lip, and beaming with satisfaction.

“It clicked, Daddy!”

Me, giving Jamie a strange look before turning back toward Claire, “That’s so great, Sweetie…but what are we talking about?”

Jamie, giving Claire a reassuring smile, “Explain to Dad we’re talking about your reading.”

Claire, still wildly enthused, “The click happened, Dad…I can read!”

Sure enough, we sat down on the couch and she read Father Bear Comes Home with an ease and sense of confidence I’ve never heard from her before. When she finished, she crossed her legs, looked up at me with the brightest, happiest eyes imaginable, and waited for my response.

“Way to go, my girl! We’re throwing a Clicking Party! We’ll make pizza, and you get to choose the ingredients.”

Claire bounded out of the room and into a frenzy of party planning. Something tells me it’s going to be the grandest Clicking Party EVAH!

May we, as parents, celebrate our children’s milestones. What may seem small to us likely seems big, hairy, and audacious to them. Let’s look through their lens, identify their challenges, and celebrate their successes.

What a great moment in the Pipher home today! “Thank you, Lord.”

Parents, what milestones have your children crossed recently? How did you celebrate them, or help them sense the satisfaction of hard work and commitment?

Previous Post

January 10, 2013

BOOK TRAILER for "Man on the Run"

Next Post

January 21, 2013 Dr. King - A Painfully Uncomfortable Example

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the first high priest of Israel?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Moses Joshua Levi Aaron