Wanting Attention

Our two oldest grandchildren (along with their mother) spent this past weekend with us. It was interesting to watch the different antics they used in trying to get attention.

The first born used "in your face" techniques to get attention. She danced around the living room, making sure everyone was watching her. She inserted herself in the pictures being taken. She tried to make a grand entrance when she walked into a building, looking around to see if everyone had noticed that she had arrived. She does not understand the art of subtlety at all! She was seeking attention by being dramatic!

The second born is quite the opposite. He understands subtlety very well! You can see the wheels turning as he thinks about what he is supposed to do and then chooses to do the opposite. At the restaurant yesterday, he was sitting next to me. He knew that he was supposed to stay in his chair. Several times, however, he chose to leave his chair. He walked just out of my arm's length so that I couldn't reach him. He was pretty confident that I wouldn't create a public scene by chasing after him. When it was time to leave, he deliberately walked the opposite way from the table, away from the exit. He stopped several tables away and watched to see what the adults would do. He was seeking attention through his deliberate acts of testing the boundaries.

You might think that my grandkids are just children and that they'll grow up. I would like to think that is true; but, unfortunately, I know too many adults who behave the same way. We all know adults who are classified as "drama queens." And, we all know adults who test the boundaries in their quest for attention.

I'm sometimes guilty of changing my behavior because I want attention. I normally classify myself as "shy" and "reticent", but sometimes I find myself being "loud" and "brash," using my behavior to get attention. I wonder what God thinks about this type of behavior. Did He create our yearning for attention? Or is that a consequence of sin's curse? Is it selfishness? Or is a psychological need?

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