Brownie Brag

Tonight, I learned that on Mother's Day, while Ken and I took a bike ride around the park, the girls were faced with one of their first "Your mom will never know" dilemmas.

My oldest had texted me to ask if they could go into the community center to get a snack.  I answered, "No." (1. They didn't need the junk food. 2. Kids aren't allowed in the community center without adults. Many kids break this rule, but we honor it.)  The friend my girls were with said, "Let's just go in.  Your mom won't even know."

My oldest girl said, "I don't want to disobey my mom." My sweet middle munchkin said, "Yeah, that would be sinning."  (That made me giggle. I promise I don't teach her to say stuff like that.)

I told the girls I was proud beyond words they made the right decision, then asked why they chose to obey. My oldest said, "Well, for one, I didn't want to get in trouble; but also, it just made me feel bad. When we told our friend we didn't want to disobey our mom, she looked at us like we were weird."

Welcome to life, kids!  People will often think you're weird if you choose right over wrong, especially if the wrong is viewed by the world as "no big deal."  My hope is that their reason for wanting to choose right is because it's right, not simply to avoid being in trouble. I want them to obey because they love me and trust my judgement, even when they don't agree.  I'm glad the thought of deceiving me made the girls feel bad.

I can see my own relationship to my Heavenly Father mirrored in this situation.  My prayer is for that same relationship for my kids.

By the way, you should know that after we talked, I promptly marched them down to the community center to pick out whatever snack they wanted!

Comments

  1. Jim HannahMay 10, 2011 at 11:08 PM

    God bless then as they grow in Him each day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnnGMay 10, 2011 at 11:31 PM

    What a good testament to the lifes you are leading! What a wonderful Mother's Day gift this was for you to learn!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Roxanne WeissMay 11, 2011 at 9:21 AM

    To Hannah and Mckenzie: YAH! Not only did you make your mom and dad proud, but you made God proud! I'm quite sure He smiled at the way you handled that tough situation. If you had gone against your parents wishes, you would have laid awake that night feeling terrible! Because of the way you handled it, you slept well, your mom and dad are proud of you, God is proud, and you set an excellent example for your friend, T.J., and anyone else that hears this story. And, you're showing that you will be great examples to your 2 brothers still in China. You did GREAT!

    ReplyDelete
  4. BeverlyMay 17, 2011 at 8:11 PM

    Yay, Hannah and Makenzie! You are shining for Jesus, and I know that makes His heart glad, as well as your mom and dad's!

    ReplyDelete

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