Grace

Sam pitched a fit when I picked him up from school today. He has a certain routine he likes to follow when getting into the car (like getting in with NO HELP, buckling the top part of his car seat BY HIMSELF, etc...). In the past few weeks, I've helped him understand that things don't always go your way and it's okay to let someone help you. When we're in the carpool line at school, drop-off and pick-up can go one of two ways depending on what mood Sam is in or how tired he is; it can be a very good experience or a very very bad one. Today's pick-up was bad. He was yelling at the teacher, crying uncontrollably, and trying to keep her from buckling him into his car seat. I had planned on taking the boys to Joseph Beth Bookstore to play with the train set after school, but Sam's behavior nixed that idea. He also knows that when his behavior is unacceptable, he doesn't get to watch TV for the rest of the day when I'm with him. When we got home, Sam went straight to his room and, of course, fell asleep. He awoke an hour-and-a-half later with a better attitude...and a SOAKED mattress. Grrrrr...

After changing his pull-up and clothes, playing by himself for a bit, eating a snack, drawing a picture for me and "Mr. Aaron" to put on our refrigerator, and taking a bath, Sam looked at me and said, "Ms. Allison...my brain told me to tell you sorry for having a fit in the car today. Can I watch TV now?"

Was he apologizing for the fit because he was sincere or because he wanted to watch TV? Hmm...

"Sam," I said. "Thank you for apologizing."

"You're welcome," he said.

"Do you understand that when you say 'I'm sorry' it means that you'll work on not having a fit again?" I asked him.

"Yes," he said. "I'll work on it."

"Do you think you deserve to watch TV after your behavior today?" I asked.

"No," he replied.

Hmm...that was the right answer.

"Well," I said. "You might not deserve to watch TV right now, but Ms. Allison is going to practice grace. Do you know what grace is?"

"That's a girl in my class," he answered.

I explained what grace was and turned on the TV for him. He may not completely understand it, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to introduce the idea to him. God speaks to me every day through these children and I'm so grateful for it. Every time I try to teach Sam a lesson, one gets thrown right back at me. God is awesome.

I'm going on a date with my handsome husband tonight! I think we're going to dinner and a movie :) Honestly, I don't care what we do as long as I get to be with him. I can't wait!