Today, while I was taking down all the Christmas stuff, my children got the idea to build a house out of paper towel, glue, and old clementine boxes (liberally pounded with the toy hammer). As they worked, my four-year-old son got an idea,
“I know! The dolls can be our children! And they always do everything we say. And they never hit each other. And they never say, ‘You BAD!’” (That’s an insult at our house.)
“Wow,” I said. “What is your secret for having such wonderful children?”
“I dunno,” my son replied matter-of-factly. “Just discipline. Just watchin’ ‘em.”
He’s right. We like to make it a lot more complicated. Probably because the working out is so often sticky, and fraught with judgment calls, and plagued by our own sinful selfishness. But at the end of the day, as long as we are leaning heavily upon the Lord and acknowledging Him in everything we do, then, yeah, that really is the secret: just discipline, just watchin’ ‘em.
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. –Proverbs 29:15
January 5th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Such a simple yet profound thing – exactly what I needed as a mommy right now! Our oldest (of four)is now 9 and the realization that he is halfway to adulthood along with the fact that he still isn’t perfect (ha!) scares me.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Lol. Sounds like a solid plan to me.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
Amen for profound and simple parenting. I have no doubt your son will be an excellent father.
By the way, one of my non-public goals is to meet you in person at my house with your whole family. (now just made public, I guess) We are not fancy people, and we have a new furnace.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
Is it wrong that I giggled at the insult?! Oh, hallelujah that the worst insult he came up with is, “You BAD!” Oh innocence :0)
Julie
January 5th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
O.M.,
Hurray! For both your new furnace and your goal. I would love to come see you and enjoy your furnace and your wonderful, non-fancy company.
January 7th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
*chuckle* Excellent!
January 7th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
“You bad” is an insult here as well!
Sorry, I’m not sure if I’ve ever commented before, but I’ve been reading here awhile and we seem to run in some of the same bloggy circles.