The crime: telling our friend Alec, who I was babysitting, that his mommy was here when she wasn't. Alec goes running excitedly to greet his mommy when, alas, there is no mommy to be seen. In tears, he plops himself down on the porch saddened by the fact while Caleb begins the "I gotcha" snicker.
This did not sit well with me. While Josh and I have always said we were glad that our kids have a sense of humor and can, for the most part, take a joke as well as play one, there is a difference to be acknowledged between joking and lying. And Caleb does, indeed, know the difference. After a discussion (aka: one-sided lecture from Mommy and Daddy) and having him remind us of what the ninth commandment teaches, he was instructed to some alone time until I could prepare his "Always tell the truth" paper.
This is the first time Caleb has been made to write as a form of discipline. But I figure if it worked with the Walton kids when Mama Olivia and Grandma Esther made them do it, it might work for Caleb, too. When I do Caleb's lessons during the day, the one thing that he doesn't enjoy is practicing his printing. So... if disobedience means having to do something he doesn't like, maybe it will stick in his mind just a little longer. Although I do realize that it could backfire on me and make him dislike printing all the more. We shall see!
 |
| Exodus 20:16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." (NIV) Especially within earshot of your mother! |
No comments:
Post a Comment