Immature

Have you ever reacted to a situation in such an immature way that it surprised even yourself?

I have found that as soon as I utter the words "I think I have this mothering stuff down", I am humbled! You would think that by now I would have learned from my mistake of making such a comment, but I can't help it. It slips out and in no time at all, I am paying for it.

Take this example.

A few months ago Isaiah was in the habit of saying ha, ha. It sounds innocent in itself, but when the words "ha, ha" follow a comment from Caleb saying "Isaiah, you ate my snack", it is very frustrating. No matter how many times Isaiah was told to stop saying "ha ha", he wouldn't stop.

That is, until one morning....

Normally our mornings go well. Isaiah is usually quick to eat, get dressed and ready for school. On this particular morning, he was literally moving at the pace of molasses. I told him numerous times to get dressed only to find him several minutes later playing with his toys.

Now, Adam and I were in the process of moving some stuff into the garage, and as we were bringing the last box through the house, I saw Isaiah sitting in the hallway, still in his pajamas. As I sternly said "Isaiah, you had better get dressed right now", he responded with "ha ha".

As Adam and I were moving the box into the garage I said, "Adam, did you hear that, I have had it with him. This ha ha stuff has got to stop!" As we came back inside, Adam went into Isaiah's room and I heard him give Isaiah a good swat to the rear-end. Let me just add a disclaimer here. We are not big on spanking, but there have been a few occasions where the behavior warranted something more than a verbal reprimand...and this was one of those occasions. As soon as Adam walked out of Isaiah's room, I walked in. With a smile on my face and a feeling of vindication to back me up, I said "Ha Ha".

And there it was; my moment of stooping so low that I had to pick my jaw up off the floor because I couldn't believe what just came out of my mouth. But there is a sliver lining in all of this; not only has Isaiah stopped saying "ha ha", because he realizes that is doesn't feel good when you are on the receiving end of it, but it was a great lesson to him that we all make mistakes and need to ask for forgiveness.

I know the story won't end there. This mothering stuff encompasses every intense emotion from one end of the spectrum to the next. But to be real with my kids and admit when I have done something wrong is a lesson I hope they will never forget.