EXPECTATIONS

At first glance you can immediately see that the Roderick girls are sisters. All have that gorgeous blonde hair, all have those shining blue eyes and all are about the same height. However, from that point on they are different in so many ways. Today I'm going to tell you a story about our Princess Shae.

From birth, Shae was always the quiet, thoughtful, sensitive, almost shy one. She is the most tidy, the most creative, the most meticulous, the most patient . . . in short, she is the perfectionist. She knows exactly what she wants and she will wait until it comes to her. She expects the best out of everyone she meets and she expects them to treat her with respect and love. God made her that way and we rejoice and celebrate her uniqueness.

In pre-kindergarten, Shae was in a class with 10 kids. Three girls and seven boys and Shae had her eyes on a hot blonde named Christian. Shae and Christian became great friends instantly. They even shared the same birthday, Christian being born in the morning and Shae in the evening. They always sat next to each other, they played together at recess, had play dates at one another's houses. As Shae used to tell me they were in "wuv".

There was a field trip that was planned for the Newport Beach Fisherman's Dory and I was one of the drivers. Of course, Shae and Christian were to be in my car. This is how the whole morning went down and I am not exaggerating.

We walked to the car, Christian gently holding Shae's hand. He opens the door for her and helps her into her seat making sure she is buckled in correctly. We get to the Dory and Christian gets out and opens Shae's door and holds her hand so that she can gently jump out. As he closes the car door, he places his hand in the small of her back and follows her to where the class is meeting. They walk and chat as if no other kids are around. The children are all asked to sit on a bench and he brushes the seat off for Shae so that she has a clean spot to sit on. As we leave, he once again opens the door and securely buckles her in for the ride back to school. We arrive at school, and again he helps her out of the car and walks her back to class clasping her tiny hand.

Now, you can imagine what I am thinking at this point. I have got to talk to this kids parents. And I did. I thanked Kathy for raising such a fine young man, even though said man was only five, and shared with her the love story that happened before my eyes that day.

Shae's father and Christian had set the example for her and she is still good friends with Christian. This is how young women should be treated. Is it really that hard to raise young men with manners? Opening doors, pulling out chairs, picking up dropped items, coming to the door to pick up your date . . . are we expecting to much?

Apparently, this is what Shae expects and has not yet been disappointed. Shae will find that perfect guy someday.

I did.