Friday, November 10, 2006

The wizard....

I'm sure we've all seen the movie The Wizard of Oz, or at least heard of it. I was recently reading a book called, Finding Noel and in it was an analogy that was worth sharing.

"You know the part when Dorothy and her friends go to see the Wizard? This big, ominous head talks to them and they're all terrified. Then her dog..."
"Toto," I said.
"Right. Toto pulls back the curtain and there's a little man behind it pulling levers and throwing switches. And he says into his microphone, 'Ignore the man behind the curtain.' I think that being a parent is like being the man behind the curtain. We pretend that we know what we're doing--that we're omnipotent and all-knowing--when the truth is we're just back behind the curtain throwing levers and swithces, doing the best we can."


That sounds about right. Just as soon as I think I know what I am doing, I find out something new. We just have to do the best we can with what we have available at the time.

1 comment:

Sarah Reinhard said...

What a great comparison, Susan, and beautiful insight. I'm the little man behind the curtain. This goes along with the Santa being a lesson for our children, when they are older, about service done for no credit. (Just heard that on EWTN radio the other day...BEEEEE-YOUUUUU-TEEE-FUL!)