So Cooter has a dream. A big one.
He wants to own a bar someday.
First off let me explain that his only exposure of any kind to a bar is the cantina in Star Wars. But it made quite an impression, I reckon. Such that this is what my precious 8-year-old baby boy told me a couple of months ago: “I want to own a bar one day. See, I will work with the police, and the bad guys will come in and the police will be able to find them. But the bad guys won’t know about it–it’s a secret operation. And that way we can keep finding the bad guys and getting them arrested.”
I can’t even.
I wish it were as simple as all that–that everything was that clear cut and black and white between the good and the bad AND that the bad buys would just flock to his bar where they would be captured and sent to jail for justice to be served. Because, I guess, bad guys have no sense and therefore wouldn’t figure out that their favorite bar had become one huge, human version of a roach motel–folks go in, but they never come out.
Bless him.
About a week ago, he found out that one of our friends whom he was close to at one time has been drinking. “WHAT?!” he practically bolted out of his booster seat in the very back of the van. “WHAT? He’s only like 18, right? THAT’S ILLEGAL. He could get ARRESTED!!!!!” And he flopped back in his seat, blowing a puff of air out, crossing his arms, and rolling his eyes. He was D.O.N.E. DONE.
Bless him. I get it, I do.
This morning as we were getting ready to go the Superhero Event at our library, Cooter came into the kitchen and out of the blue brought the subject up again.
“Hey Mama, you know another reason I want to have a bar? Because some folks can’t afford entertainment. They can’t afford to watch the boxing matches and stuff. So I think they could come to the bar and watch it there. Because it’s sad. That people can’t afford entertainment…..” he wandered out of the room, shaking his head, still talking about his future plans.
That Cooter. Always considering those in need.
*sigh*
Tonight I’m thankful for a little man whose sense of justice and good triumphing over evil is strong. I’m thankful that for now he doesn’t have to get the complexities of life and all of the gray areas between the good and evil–the place where most of us live. All too soon he will face those areas and situations, but for now, I like his plans. I encourage his dreams. He wants to make the world a better place, and he wants to help those who aren’t as fortunate as he is. (That’s how I’m reframing this whole bar thing, by the way, y’all. It’s the only way I can smile when my baby boy starts talking about owning a bar. The struggle is real.)
To be honest, I’m proud of his dream.
Because he has one. And it keeps growing and evolving as he learns more about the world around him.
That’s a win in my book any day.
I like dreams and the ones what think them up.
May we all find something big in our hearts to dream about that makes us smile and will make the world a better place. It’s the first step to DOing. I like it.
Love to all.
ps–the irony is not lost on me that I have one child who wants to pass the bar, one who dances using a barre, and one who wants to own a bar…..Someone has a great sense of humor. I’m laughing already, okay? 🙂
I Might Need A Nap 
Hahaha, I love it! Perhaps he would want to meet all those different creatures too…I remember that bar scene from oh-so-many-years ago and it was funny and a bit outrageous. There is a volume of things that can be said for the bar life and the fortunes and misfortunes of the regulars. My son-in-law manages an on/off sale place in Fargo and my daughter sells beverages to bars. It’s such a different world and needs much prayer. I applaud children who desire to and can and will make a difference in our world! And, I applaud parents who let them dream instead of shooting holes into their ideas with bare truths and logic that can be dealt with when they are older and better to understand. How easy to say ‘bars are bad places’ or suggest another idea…the realities and hard decision in life hit us up early enough!
Thank you for all of the grace in this Debra. I am hoping that I am doing the right thing by letting him dream big. Like you said, the realities will hit him soon enough. He sees it so clearly and definitively–bad guys are all bad and they will come in and they will get arrested. The end. All of the grays can be overwhelming so I’ll just leave him be for now Thanks for sharing your story–and for reading. Love and hugs.