Love, 12 kids and an adventurous frog

By James Brent Beach

In the movie “Cheaper by the Dozen”  staring  Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt, who made a wonderful couple, there is a breakfast scene involving a frog. In the scene the frog hops into the scrambled eggs and the whole family (12 kids) jump in to help catch the elusive frog. During the ensuing chaos, breakfast and the kitchen is pretty much reduced to a shambles along with school and work clothes. Once caught dad (Steve Martin) calmly tells the young boy to put the frog back in his home. Mom (Bonnie Hunt) asks if a special cup was broken, upon hearing that it was she sighs and shrugs it off while  the rest of the family, still laughing sits down to what is left of breakfast and continues as if nothing had happened.

Yes it is a scene in a movie, but what a wonderful example of love and peace of mind. There was no baggage created and carried forward. Mom sighs and then shrugs off the loss of a special cup. Dad covered in food calmly asks his son to put the frog back into his home and the son, fully realizing what just transpired, complies. There was no guilt piled on, no yelling, and no stress carried forward. But there was one great frog story to tell over and over again. I must say that director Shawn Levy and 2oth Century Fox created a great family movie in ” Cheaper by the Dozen,” one I recommend.

Can a lesson be taken from the frog scene? I believe one can. If a person chooses to live a life of love. In the breakfast frog scene the young boy had no idea about what was about to happen and neither could the frog.  Love is kind, patient and forgiving.

For more on love I highly recommend The Family You’ve Always Wanted, Love As A Way Of Life & The Five Love Languages, …of Children, …of Teens all by Gary Chapman1.

Love Love

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