My Magpie!

Our daughter, Ellie, harbors a dark side not noticed by most outsiders. Her brothers, the primary targets of her attacks, are too well-aware of it. For lack of a better explanation, we have decided that Ellie is in some weird way related to the black-billed magpie. Like the magpie, she is magnetically drawn to shiny objects, particularly her brothers' shiny objects.

These past few months, Ellie has been stashing all sorts of shiny objects in her room, none of which were actually hers. She has snagged coins from a coin collection, gameboys, a cell phone, an ipod touch, silver legos (not red, blue, green or yellow, just silver), and a toy light sabre. I'm sure she has taken more, but you get the idea. She doesn't play with them -- well, she does tend to mess up the ipod -- she just hoards them in her "nest" under her pillow, like the magpie.

I'm not sure why we're so surprised by her behavior. Or why it drives us so crazy. She has always been this way; she just didn't act on it before.

In China years ago, while we were finalizing Ellie's adoption, we visited a large mall in Guangzhou. Ellie sat quietly in her baby carrier on Daddy's hip. And then we'd walk by a jewelry store. Suddenly, she would push up, crane her neck to see all the glittery gold and squeal! With all she had, she would reach toward the shiny display. It happened over and over. We just cracked up! And obviously had no idea where this fascination would one day lead.

Here we are, four years later, and Miss Magpie has many beautiful shiny things of her own. Yet none hold the same thrill that her brothers' belongings do. We are completely stumped! We make her give them back and apologize. We have asked her if she wants them to take her toys -- of course she doesn't. She has stood in the corner again, and again, and again (why haven't I given up on this one yet?).

All I know to do is to keep asking God for wisdom on this one. His Word says, "train up a child in the way 'she' should go, and when 'she' grows old she will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6). God has entrusted this beautiful girl to us, and I know, someday, He will reveal how we can mold her heart. In the meantime, I continue to pray for guidance, try to be patient and firm, and remind myself that this is not all she does. Ellie is a wonderful, inquisitive girl. Someday, this will pass.